Oceanbound
by Ashlielle
Summary: (x CURRENTLY BEING EDITED/REWRITTEN x) A crazy and excitable fan of Eiichiro Oda's ongoing Japanese comic "One Piece" has somehow found herself experiencing life with the characters themselves! Why did she, of all places in the One Piece world, end up landing on the Straw Hats ship? And how is the crew going to handle their odd new guest?
1. Prologue

**Oh goodness. I decided to start this story and ended up typing out the first chapter ****_twice_**** before it seemed okay. And the beginning is entirely different from the other one. Anyways, if you're reading this, thank you! This is your typical (or hopefully it ends up not-so-typical) fan-falls-into-One-Piece story. BTW, the first chapter will be in first person, but the other chapters will NOT. It's just as an introduction to our main character.**

**Disclaimer: Does it look like I own One Piece? If I owned One Piece, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction! I don't own One Piece and its characters nor the cover photo. I **_**do**_**, however, own my OC.**

_Prologue_

A loud bell announced the end of the school day, and I was more than happy to go. Sadly, there were still forty minutes left until I could _actually_ go since I had to wait a bit later than the first round students for my bus. Thankfully, the school year was coming to a close, and since she was in her last year, that meant she was finally going to be free! Or, well, as free as this world gets.

Why am I so happy to be out of school? Well, I finally get to really work on my dream. After two years of vocational school in cooking, I can finally work towards my dream to open my own restaurant – the "All Blue".

Yes, I am a serious otaku. And my obsession is One Piece. Actually, it has been for a few years now, and I've watched every episode of One Piece that is out to the public, most of the shorts, every movie, and most of the manga chapters. I don't read ahead in the manga chapters because I don't like to spoil it before I watch the new anime episodes. The anime is just much livelier and colorful to me, so I try to stick to watching it first.

I shifted my bag higher on my shoulders and walked towards the cafeteria where the third round kids wait and sighed. Even though my parents know of my ambition, they still object to it. They always say I should be doing something with my natural talents like art. In fact, I used to want to be an artist, but my love of eating and my hate of wasting food ended up prevailing over talent. Really, it was Sanji's story that ended up making me change my mind about art. After watching it twice – or was it the third time? – I got so angry with people when they wasted food that it put me in a funk all day long afterwards. The first year of high school had been torture for me. I had chosen to homeschool and it turned out to be much harder than it seemed. There were no good cooking utensils in my home and we didn't have enough money for good ingredients most of the time due to my parents drinking constantly.

My younger twin siblings appreciate my cooking much more than my parents, though. And my older brother also supports me. He offered for me to stay in his apartment – which I refused – and he also gave me a bit of money to start my savings with and helps me to carry the groceries when I go to the grocery store. Not that I can't carry them, but it is helpful.

As I walked through the hallways nearing the cafeteria, I found a rather large red feather with a gold tip. I carefully slipped it into my bag before continuing into the large room and sitting down in my usual spot, alone in the farthest corner away from everyone else. I watched my two old best friends, Coco and Aya, from my spot for a moment before pulling out my sketchbook and drawing. My favorite OC waved back at me within a few moments on the paper, unmoving and constantly grinning.

In cute curly letters in the corner, I wrote "Miki-chan", the name of the girl I had drawn**(1)**. Blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and adorable multicolored outfit visualized in my mind and I pulled out my markers to start outlining her frame in dark ink.

"Hey, uh, Saki right?" a voice caught my attention and I pulled my eyes away from the image I was drawing.

"Umm… Yeah…" I said, feeling my face turn red in nervousness.

"Yeah, Saki, okay," the person said, nodding to themselves and sticking out his hand, "The names Ace. I'm bored. Wanna talk?"

I awkwardly scooted over and pulled my things closer to get them out of the way. "Sure, I guess."

Ace plumped himself down happily. "Thanks! Those people back there are weird. Especially those two."

When I realized he was pointing at my old friends, I laughed a bit. "Yeah, I guess they're pretty interesting…"

It was odd, meeting someone named Ace. I knew that was an actual name, but I had never personally met anyone with that name before. It reminded me of One Piece, of course, and almost made me sniffle thinking of Marineford. I unconsciously began to sketch Ace's wavy black hair and freckles in my sketchbook.

The Ace next to me did have wavy hair, but it was red, and his eyes were dark green. At least he didn't _look_ like Ace. That would be weird.

Ace tugged the hood of his black sleeveless hoodie over his shoulder and knocked it around in boredom. "Have you ever been to the well on the edge of the town?"

"Hm? No," I answered, not even having known that there was a well nearby.

"You should go there! If you walk straight on Gum Street from the fountain all the way out of town, you'll find it. I've been there a couple of times, but I never find anything…" Ace said, "People say-" he leaned a bit closer "-that there is a legend about that well. Apparently a person fell in there once nearly ten years ago after dropping their special feather in and never came back out, but nobody ever found a body neither."

I leaned in closer. "Really?! I never knew something that cool was in our town!"

Nothing better to do, I thought. Thankfully, the teachers here don't give a crap about the students. I started gathering my sketchbook – which I just realized had a big picture of Ace now sketched on the page I had turned to – and my other things into my bag and stood up.

"Where ya going?" Ace asked, "Don't leave me bored here! You meanie!"

"Meanie? Are you still a kid?" I asked, "Why do you have to stay so badly?"

"Uh, cause I obviously gotta get on my bus," Ace replied.

Oh yeah. Not everybody had a family like mine.

"Oh, well I'm going to go check out that well," I said.

"Aww! You're going exploring without me? How mean!" Ace said, crossing his arms and standing up to find someone else to talk to.

"Later!" I said, chuckling to myself as I walked out of the back exit.

Honestly, this was probably the most excited I had ever been. Ever. A mystery well? A person that never returned? A feather? Suddenly I remembered the feather in my bag and pulled it out. This was _reeking_ of adventure! And sadly, I hadn't ever been on any real adventures. Sure, there were a few times I played tag or times I hung from trees like a monkey until I got dizzy, but never anything with a legend or mystery like _this_.

As I walked, I found myself happily humming Binks' Sake to myself and practically skipping along Gum Street. This was pretty funny to me, considering that I was going on my first adventure ever and the street name was Gum, like Gomu Gomu or Gum Gum, which is Luffy's devil fruit. Of course, it might've just been because I had an odd tendency to make everything relate to One Piece in my head.

I came to the end of the street twirling the pretty red feather in my hands. I was getting closer! What was waiting in that well? Maybe it was a rare bird that had something to do with my cool new feather? That actually sounded a bit boring. Why would I go all the way to a well to find a bird? Maybe… To eat it? That sounded yummy… But I would probably get in trouble for killing a rare bird, so that wasn't an option.

So… Maybe… If you fall through it, you go to another dimension? Or maybe you find an endless supply of food and water that'll keep you alive forever? Or maybe there was a house down there so the person who fell in just lives there? Wait, no, then they would die without food. And how would a random house get down there anyway?

I shrugged to myself. Guess I'll just have to find out, huh? Soon enough I was crossing from sidewalk to dirt road. Thankfully, Ace seemed to have been telling me the truth about the path to the well. Also, I was thankful to not have a directional sense as bad as Zoro's.

A twig cracked as a squirrel ran over it and I looked up. And what do I find?

Well, the well of course!

I ran over to it. It looked pretty dark down there… Was there even anything down there? Walking around the side, I noticed a carving of a feather in the wood holding up the miniature roof. Wait, a feather? I lifted the feather I had back up. So maybe I really _would_ be having an adventure!

Grinning, I leaned over the well to look down into it. Coincidentally, I just so happened to drop the feather into the well. Didn't Ace say something about that? If this feather was important, I couldn't lose it! It was the key to my adventure! I reached out for it desperately and leaned over a bit more.

"Woah! Crap!" I said as I lost my balance and went head first down the well after the feather.

Ironically, the feather now floated _above _me.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhh~!"

Eventually, I just closed my eyes and waited to impact the bottom, seeing my life flash before my eyes. Honestly? There were scarier moments in my life. Moments with more emotional impact than this would probably have. Then again, I probably wouldn't be having any emotional impacts after this, huh?

Hang on a second, this really isn't the time to be joking!

…

"Ah…." I said to myself, "I wonder if this well ever ends? Maybe that's the mystery."

I put my hands behind my head as if relaxing and kept falling.

"That's pretty boring."

I closed my eyes. Might as well relax a little before I die, right? Eventually I'll have to come out of the other side anyway. Actually, I'll probably burn in the core first.

With my eyes shut, I didn't realize the bright light shining from below me.

"Ahh! Quit being so morbid!" I smacked my cheeks lightly and opened my eyes.

A few extra long moments later…

"E-Eh?!" I screamed, "What in the heck is going on?!"

Well, I guess I did have to come out, but how exactly did I end up… in the sky? Looking down, there was even more blue and no clouds. I turned my body so I could face upwards and look at the sun above.

"Ah….. Well, this is relaxing, but what goes up must come down, right? Ahaha! Except I never went up…" I joked to myself.

Yes! My backpack! Maybe I packed a blanket or something that I can use as a parachute!

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" I chanted as I dug through my bag carefully to keep the stuff from flying out.

"AH! DARN! I ONLY PACKED FOR MY FIELD TRIP, AND TODAY WASN'T COLD AT ALL!" I screamed as I zipped the backpack back up and squeezed it tight, "I'M NOT READY TO DIIIIIEEEE~!"

I took as deep a whiff of air as I could while I was falling – which was hard; have you ever tried? No, I don't think so – and looked down resignedly. Guess there really was no stopping it, huh? The last breath of sea air I took filled my lungs for only a few moments and I took another breath.

…

…

…

Wait…

I don't live anywhere near the ocean! Then I realized the blue beneath me was certainly the ocean and a seagull passed below me. Whoa.

And then I decided what to call this rather short adventure. Oceanbound.

Little did I know, this wouldn't be quite as short as I thought…

**1: Miki-chan is a character from my story "Star of Hope". For more info on this cutie character, go read it! She will also be appearing in one of my future stories as a main character, so look forward to it! :D**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I decided to make this chapter a bit short. It ****_is_**** just an intro after all. I don't normally like first person stories, but I thought a bit of insight on the character and the way she thinks personally would be good for one chapter. So obviously, this will most likely be the only chapter that is ever in first person. I had a lot of trouble writing 'I' instead of 'her' and had to backspace quite a few times.**

**I would love any insight you could give me for further chapters! Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated and very motivating, but not required! Though I do love them… A lot…**


	2. What Is It?

**Well, here we go! The second chapter! And it's not in first person this time (thank god… I'm too used to writing in third person for all my stories)! And don't you dare ask for spoilers! No spoilers! I like the… *props up cool sunglasses* factor of surprise...**

**Disclaimer: Please enjoy the adventures of my ridiculous OC and remember that Oda-sensei has been and always will be the owner and author of One Piece!**

* * *

_Chapter 2  
What Is It?_

"Ahh! What a nice day!" Nami said, stretching out as she relaxed on a lawn chair.

In the background, she could faintly hear the sounds of the boys playing in the ring pool Franky had set up by the Sunny, but that wasn't her focus right now. No, she finally had time to _relax_. After three whole days straight of map-making, she was finally giving herself some much needed break time.

"Naaaaamiiiiiii! I'm hungry!" Luffy whined as he climbed over the side of the ship and flopped on the deck.

She felt her eyebrow twitching. "You're always hungry. Go ask Sanji for a snack or something."

"I already I _asked_ him, but he said I had to wait!" Luffy argued.

"Then find something yourself or wait like Sanji said," Nami replied, waving her hand as if to swat him away and leaning back in her seat again.

A few moments of silence. Good.

"Oh?" Luffy suddenly said, "What's that thing?"

Nami disregarded Luffy, thinking he was probably looking at something one of the other boys had.

"Oi! Usopp! Come look at this! I think I found a bird!" Luffy shouted over the railing.

Usopp's head popped up. "A bird? We haven't seen a bird in days, Luffy. Remember, the old guy on the last island said that birds don't like this area."

"Why?" Luffy said, tilting his head, "Never mind, just look! There's really something up there!"

Usopp and Chopper, who's attention had been caught, looked up to see that there was, in fact, something in the sky.

"Woah! What is that?" Chopper asked.

"It's definitely _not_ a bird, Luffy. That isn't even remotely close to the shape of a bird," Usopp said, looking up still.

Nami's attention had also been attained by now. She looked up and squinted. "Oi, Luffy! That thing is falling!"

"Oh, really?" Luffy said, looking up as it got closer, "It is!"

"But it looks like it's going to fall in the ocean," Usopp pointed out.

"No it's not! I'm gonna get it! I want to know what that thing is!" Luffy said, stretching his arm skyward.

"B-B-But what if it's some kind of monster? Or an evil machine? Or a curse object?" Usopp said, "What if it's a thing from Sky Island like before? What if there's a skeleton from some guy who died when someone committed mutiny?"

"What?!" Chopper said, ducking behind Usopp's legs as a cover from whatever scary thing was headed their way.

"Stop scaring Chopper with your nonsense, Usopp," Zoro said, seemingly appearing from nowhere and startling the sniper.

"Woah! Zoro! I didn't know you were here! Don't scare me like that again!" Usopp screamed, clutching his heart like he was about to die.

"I got it!" Luffy shouted, preparing to pull his arm back in.

* * *

"W-Woah!" Saki exclaimed.

She had been slowly plummeting to her very sudden and unexplained death when suddenly something had wrapped around her waist.

"What the heck is th-! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed as the thing around her waist started pulling her down even faster.

* * *

"Is that screaming?" Nami said, cupping a hand around her ear.

All went quiet as everyone tried to listen for the sound. By now, all of the crew had gathered to see what was going on and weren't actually surprised to see Luffy doing something crazy as usual – pulling down a random falling object from the sky.

"I think I hear it too," Usopp said.

"I hear it! Something is screaming!" Chopper said.

"Luffy-bro, are you pulling a person out of the sky?" Franky asked.

Luffy laughed. "I don't know!"

Everyone facepalmed.

* * *

Suddenly she felt her course redirected. What was pulling her down? She hadn't even noticed anything when she looked down at the ocean, but maybe it was because she was so far away? This was just crazy!

So crazy, in fact, that she hadn't even realized a major detail about her surroundings.

* * *

Now the screaming was very clear.

"This person has quite the lungs to be screaming this loud and for so long! Then again, I would be too, if I had lungs! Yohohohoho! SKULL JOKE!" Brook exclaimed.

Chopper was already running around. "Whoever this person is, they're going to need a doctor! DOCTOR!"

"Chopper, you're the doctor," Usopp stated.

The reindeer stopped running. "Oh yeah, that's right!"

"Luffy! Inflate yourself or that person isn't going to survive that fall!" Nami said.

"Right!" Luffy said, making himself into a balloon. His arm and the person were nearly back and everyone was straining to tell who the mystery person was.

"Almost there!" Chopper said.

"Oof!" the air whooshed out of Luffy's lungs as the figure suddenly collided with him and the screaming abruptly ended. Luffy deflated and set the person – a girl – down on the lawn.

"…" nobody spoke as they took in the girl in front of them. Mouth hanging wide open in a silent scream and eyes wide open but unblinking. Chopper waved a hand in front of her face cautiously.

"H-Hello? Are you awake?" Chopper asked.

No response.

* * *

Soon after, in the infirmary, everyone crowded around the girl and tried to stay out of Chopper's way at the same time.

"Phew, I'm done!" Chopper said, mostly to himself, in relief.

Everyone crowded a bit closer.

"Maybe she's a bird?" Luffy suggested.

"No way! How could she a bird! She has absolutely no feathers! At all!" Usopp said.

"Well, maybe she's a bird that ate a devil fruit!" Luffy said.

"Chopper is the one with the Human Human devil fruit, Luffy!" Usopp countered.

Luffy sank back a bit. "Oh yeah… Maybe she's a mystery bird?"

"No, Luffy, she isn't," Usopp facepalmed, "Like I said, she obviously has no feathers, so she can't be a bird."

"I think she's an angel from heaven!" Sanji swooned, leaning in a bit too close for comfort.

"Well, that would explain her falling from the sky, but I seriously doubt it," Nami said.

"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji agreed.

"What if she's d-d-dangerous?" Usopp quivered, "She _did_ just fall out of the sky. Who knows what else she's capable of?"

"If it's a devil fruit we'll just throw her in the ocean," Zoro said, before adding, "_If_ she's even dangerous."

"Yeah!" Luffy said, laughing as he inspected the mystery girl he had pulled from the sky.

"I found this outside. Maybe it will tell us more about our new guest?" Robin said, holding up a backpack.

"Maybe there's treasure…?" Nami said, the beri in her eyes already apparent.

"Well, let's see!" Luffy said, bouncing away from the bed and closer to Robin, who was now opening the zipper.

Everyone was quiet as Robin peered inside. She reached a hand in and pulled it out to reveal a book.

"_Skip Beat_?" Robin said, reading the cover.

"What's a _Skip Beat_, Robin?" Luffy said.

"Well, it appears this is a book…" she replied, opening the cover to peer inside, "And it seems like it is read from right to left as opposed to the way we normally read. And it's all pictures."

"Pictures?" Usopp came closer to Robin and peered over her shoulder, "Woah! That's good artwork!"

"I wanna see it too!" Luffy said, bouncing over and looking over Robin's other shoulder. His mouth formed an 'o' and he looked at the book with interest. "I've never seen a book like this!"

"Probably because you don't even read, Luffy. This is obviously a comic book," Usopp said.

"Oh, really?" Luffy said in wonder.

"What's this?" Robin had passed the comic to Usopp and pulled out another book, "It seems like another one of those _Skip Beat_ comics."

"Reeeeally?" Luffy said, abandoning the first book in favor of seeing the new one, "Wow! It is another one!"

"And there's such a pretty lady on the cover!" Sanji swooned as he took a peek at the book, "Oh, but not prettier than my dear Robin-chwan and Nami-swan!"

Zoro rolled his eyes.

Robin handed over the book to Sanji – who was practically kissing the cover already, the pervert – and reached back into the bag, this time pulling out a larger book with a spiral down the side. A sketchbook.

"Saki…" Robin read the name on the cover aloud to herself. Maybe that was the girl's name, then? She opened the book and was surprised to find a nicely sketched picture of none other than her captain.

"Woah! That's _me_!" Luffy said, looking over the page.

"That's a good drawing, but isn't it a little creepy that this girl has a picture of our captain?" Usopp pointed out.

Robin flipped the page. This one was someone she didn't recognize. A small boy with pink hair – yes, they were even colored – and round purple glasses.

"Hey, that's Coby!" Luffy exclaimed. Zoro looked at it with both interest and weariness.

"That's Coby? You mean, the one we met on Water 7? That Coby?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah!" Luffy replied, "He used to be this little weak guy who couldn't do anything! Hahahaha!"

Brook only looked thoroughly confused at the scene.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Why does she have pictures of people we know? And us?" Zoro asked, looking at the sketchbook like it was a dagger and not a pad of paper.

"It's fine, Zoro! We'll find out why she has it when she wakes up!" Luffy said.

The page was flipped again, revealing someone none of the people in the room knew. A picture of an energetic looking boy – reminding them a bit of Luffy, in fact – with wavy-ish brown dark brown hair and a circle shaped scar around his right eye took up the page. A few sketches in only pencil in the corner showed sketches of him angry and sad, but the main picture was happy. Right above his head, the name "Blaze" was written in careful print.

"I wonder who this person is?" Robin whispered to herself.

"I don't recall ever seeing that kid before," Sanji said, having lost a bit of interest now that there was a boy instead of a pretty lady on the page.

"There's no bounty posters of him that I know of," Nami stated.

"Maybe he's not even real? Like, a character, or something? Like in that other _Skip Beat_ thing?" Usopp suggested.

The next page was only slightly more familiar. It was the girl in the infirmary bed right there with them. At the top of the page, the name "Saki" was written in all caps and there was a cute little black sticker of a skull and bones next to it. Her clothes were different, though. The blue hoodie she wore in the picture was down at her shoulders and the straps of a yellow tank top could be seen underneath. She wore a matching yellow skirt and yellow and orange striped thigh high socks under some light brown boots.

Saki, the real one, laying down near them, was in a plain blue hoodie and a pair a raggedy black jeans and a pair of worn out and dirtied white tennis shoes. Her long dark brown hair was all the way down to her hips and, as opposed to the picture, not in a ponytail.

"Well…" Brook began, "I wonder if she'll allow me to see her panties?"

"NO!" Nami shouted, throwing a shoe at him.

* * *

Many pictures later – most of them being characters they had never met before, and a few of themselves (which still creeped Usopp out a bit, especially the one of himself) – they had landed on a girl with light blonde hair, spiky and just _almost_ down to her shoulders. This girl seemed a lot like Usopp to them, and the two guns at her side indicating she was a sniper or gun user of some type helped a bit. "Miki" was scrawled to the side above the date, which they hadn't seen one of before. Wasn't that _today_?

"She looks friendly!" Luffy said.

"Not anything like that 'Boss' guy," Chopper shivered, "He was scary looking!"**(1)**

Before Robin could flip to the next page, rain pitter-patters disrupted them. Nami's head turned immediately from the sketchbook to the door and she ran outside.

"There's a storm coming!" Nami shouted, "It's a big one, too! I was too distracted to notice it earlier! We need everyone out here, now!"

Everyone but Chopper ran out, who hesitated, looking back at the girl on the bed. "But…"

"She'll be fine for a few minutes until we get out of this storm!" Nami called, "And if she wakes up I doubt she'll be up for running around a stormy ship anyways!"

Chopper took one last glance before running out the door to help get the Sunny out of the storm.

A few minutes later, in the infirmary, the ship lurched suddenly and Saki woke up.

"Augh… Where am I?" Saki asked, mostly to herself, as she pulled her body up, "By the rocking, I'm guessing this is a ship of some ki-!"

She looked around the room with shock written on her features. "W-What the…?"

Her hands flew to her mouth. Since when did she speak _Japanese_? And since when did the world turn anime? And now that she thought about it, since when was she anywhere near the ocean, or anywhere a ship would be?

Pulling herself up from the bed, she tried to remember how she got here. Okay, she was out of class… And then she found that feather… The feather! That was it! She had dropped it down the well, and then fell in after it! But that still didn't really explain how she knew Japanese, of all things.

Carefully, she looked at the things on the desk opposite the bed. For some reason, this place felt really ridiculously familiar. Like, there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head, telling her she had definitely seen this place before. But where? She reached in her pocket – luckily her Ipod was still there – and pulled out her much loved device. If this was somewhere she knew, she might have a picture of it. First she passed a few new pictures of her sister – who was _not_ supposed to touch her Ipod so she would be getting on to her for that, then a few pictures of her school schedule that she had taken because she had wanted to have them memorized, a picture of the fountain in town she had taken, a few pictures of Luffy and the crew, a ZoSan picture – guilty as charged, and a picture of her old dog that was much cuter in anime form than he had originally been.

A picture of Usopp's factory passed. _Oh yeah_, she reminded herself, _I forgot I downloaded these pictures_. Aquarium. Library. Bathroom. Men's Quarters. Women's Quarters. Kitchen and Dining Room. Sick Ba-…

"E-EHHHHHHH?!" Saki practically screamed, looking from the picture to the room. This was the same room?

_THIS IS THE SAME ROOM!_

"Oh god, this must be the craziest dream I've ever had…" she said, rubbing her head before she jerked it back up again, "But… I don't know Japanese, so why in the heck would I be able to in my dreams?! And I never have dreams this vivid…"

The headache she felt coming on was definitely a form of pain, right? And dreams don't hurt. Lightning cracked outside and she heard a voice. A very familiar voice.

"EEP! That was way too close! I think I can feel my 'if-I-stay-out-in-this-evil-storm-I'll-have-a-heart-attack' disease coming on!" Usopp screamed.

"Shut your trap Usopp!" she heard Zoro shout.

"Yeah, trust Nami-san when she says we'll be out soon! If she says we'll be out soon, we'll be out soon!" Sanji added.

"Nobody asked you, dartbrow!" Zoro argued.

"I don't have time for your crap, mosshead!" Sanji argued back.

Maybe Saki would have felt the crazy intense anger and aggravation floating in the air had she not fainted from the overwhelming situation she had suddenly found herself in.

* * *

"Nngh…?"

"and- SHH! She's waking up!" someone said.

_What…?_

Saki opened her eyes to find another set staring right back at her.

"WAH!" Saki screamed.

"Woah!" Luffy tumbled backwards and she shot up.

"I WAS RIGHT!" she shouted.

"…"

"Uh… Umm, I mean… I woke up and I… Uh…" Saki stammered.

Laughing suddenly interrupted her – thankfully; she hadn't known what she would say after that – and she recognized the laughter as Luffy's, who was now on the ground next to her – when had she gotten down here? – and practically rolling in his laughter.

Nami knocked him on the head. "Stop freaking out strangers!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Luffy said, gingerly rubbing the new lump on his head.

"You were 'right'?"

Saki turned to look at the door and noticed Robin standing there, farther away from everyone else.

"Ah, well, I woke up and I noticed this place was a ship and so I kind of figured out I was on the ship of the Straw Hats themselves, ya know, and, well, I was, uh, right and all, I guess," Saki rambled, shocked she was speaking to Nico Robin.

_Nico. Freaking. Robin. _She reminded herself, _YOU'RE. ON. THE. STRAW. HATS. SHIP._

"Yeah! I'm Luffy! Who're you, lady?" Luffy popped back up into her line of vision and waved.

"I'm, uh, Saki…" she said, waving back slightly.

"You're 'Uh Saki'? What a weird name!" Luffy laughed.

Nearly everyone facepalmed.

"I meant my name is Saki, not 'Uh Saki'," she said, not surprised with Luffy's stupidity and deciding to correct him before he began officially calling her that.

"Oh, okay! That's fine too!" Luffy said, still laughing.

"Well, Saki-san, could you tell us if you remember how you got here?" Robin asked, calm and composed as usual.

"Uh, me?" Saki asked, causing the archaeologist to nod her affirmation, "Oh, uh, well… I found this weird feather and then someone told me a story about a well, so I went there, but then… Well… I fell in…"

"You… fell in a well?" Robin asked.

"Ah, yeah, that's it," Saki said, feeling her eyes brim with happy and amazed tears. It was hard to answer Robin's questions when she was so busy admiring the people and ship surrounding her.

"Hey, is there something in your eyeballs? They're all wet," Luffy pointed out.

Saki could no longer contain herself. "This… THIS IS SO _COOL_!"

And her sparkly fan eyes made their appearance.

Of course, when old friends had said she looked like her eyes sparkled when she was having a fan moment, they were only joking, but she _swore_ her eyes must've been literally shining at that moment.

Usopp seemed to brave himself up then and finally speak.

"See, the wondrous and amazing Usopp-sama draws people in far and near from his greatness!" Usopp (falsely) boasted.

"Really?!" Chopper said, in wonder.

"No way," Saki said, "I love your whole crew! You're all so cool! I can't believe I'm even here! Am I dreaming?"

Suddenly Luffy leaned over and pinched her.

"OOOOWWW!" she whined, "Know your own strength!"

"You're not dreaming!" Luffy declared.

Half the people in the room gave him blank stares.

"…What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay! It's dinner time! I'm hungry!" Luffy said, "Sanji, food!"

"Oh, my angelic beauty, your luscious brown hair makes my knees weak, and your rose red eyes pierce my soul-!" Sanji ignored Luffy and began spouting out praises.

"Wait, red?" Saki asked, "My eyes aren't red."

Everyone stared at her. A few leaned closer.

"Yes they are," half the room replied in unison.

"They are?!" she asked, "How?!"

"…"

"Agh! It doesn't matter what color my eyes are! It's not like I'm a monster or anything, so I'm fine," Saki grumbled, mostly to herself.

"Saki-san, would you allow me to see your panties?" Brook asked suddenly.

The room went silent and Saki's eyes widened slightly. And then she grinned.

"How do you know I even wear them?" Saki winked, sending the two more perverted men flying out of the room by nosebleed. She broke out laughing immediately after and Luffy and Usopp joined her.

Luffy pat her on the back. "You're funny! I like you!"

"R-Really?!" Saki asked, turning to look at Luffy with sparkles in her eyes, only serving to make him laugh harder.

"Yeah!" Luffy said, then turned to the direction where Sanji had went flying, "Hey, Sanji! I'm hungry! Come on!"

Sanji pulled himself up and waved a hand at him dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it."

"Yay!" Saki, Luffy, and Usopp shouted.

"I'm so hungry…" Saki and Luffy both said, tongues rolling out of their mouths and looking like they had just run a marathon.

"Anything for Saki-chwan~!" Sanji said, swirling in to the kitchen in a flurry of hearts, causing Saki to laugh.

This would be fun.

* * *

**1\. ****Read my story 'Star of Hope' to find out more about Boss.**

**Yaaaaay! Second chapter complete! I feel like I may be settling her in too fast, but you'll see what happens! It'll turn out okay X3  
Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much loved and appreciated, but are not mandatory! Though I would love to see some… lol**


	3. Pinch Me Please

**Yo! Sorry I kinda neglected this (and my other stories, too :P)! I've been working on my fem!Sanji story 'Dream Ride' a lot lately. *passes out cookies to everyone***

**BTW! This story is set POST-TIMESKIP! I've had a bit of confusion over this with a few people so I just felt like I should clarify that XD**

**Also, I'm going to add the link to an AWESOME fanart on my profile! :D I was so happy to get this! And it's so cute! So you should go check it out!**

**So, what is your guys' opinion of Saki? I'm curious O-O**

**Disclaimer: Well, I'm practically sure I'm not a Japanese man that turned 40 on January 1****st****, so no, I don't own One Piece. Also, the cool sunglasses I used in the opening of the last chapter were not mine either…**

* * *

_Chapter 3  
Pinch Me Please_

Saki shoved food in her mouth nearly as fast as Luffy. When Oda-sensei said Sanji's food was good, he meant _really good_. Like, how does food as good as this even exist?

Everyone watched Saki eat with shock evident on their faces. How could someone eat as fast as _Luffy_?!

"Umm… Saki?" Usopp asked, shaking her arm slightly and then backing away quickly, "M-Maybe you should slow down a little?"

"Slow down?" Saki said, talking with her mouth full before slowing and repeating herself clearly, "Why would I slow down? This is the best food I've ever eaten in my life!"

Nobody corrected her. It really probably was the best food in existence, after all.

Sanji grinned. "You like it that much, mellorine?"

Saki nodded, grinned, and giggled at the same time, amused at Sanji's usual behavior. To say this was amazing was definitely an understatement. In fact, she could say she was so happy she could have a heart attack and it wouldn't be a lie.

"So, Saki-san, you're a fan of our group here?" Robin asked, gesturing a hand around the room towards her crewmates.

"Yeah, you guys are _awesome_!" Saki said, smiling largely.

"Cool!" Luffy said, before scratching his head, "Well, there was that Fart-olo-meow guy, but he was all weird and he kept crying over everything."

A few of the group gave him weird looks.

"Ah, I think you mean Bartolomeo, Luffy-san," Robin corrected as Saki burst into laughter at Luffy's nickname.

"Yeah, that guy," Luffy said.

"F-F-Fart-olo-meow?" Saki asked, eyes getting wet from laughing hard as she held onto her stomach, "Oh, oh gosh, my stomach hurts…"

"AHHH! SHE'S DYING!" Chopper shouted as he stood up and started running, "Call a doctor! Somebody call a doctor! She needs a-! Oh, wait, that's me."

Chopper ran over to Saki (who was still laughing) and pulled away when she started laughing harder and held a hand up.

"She's fine, Chopper. Her stomach only hurts because she's laughing so hard," Nami pointed out, amused by their guests behavior.

"Oh, really?" Chopper asked. Nami nodded. "That's good!"

Eventually Saki was able to stop laughing. "Sorry about that. I just can't believe-" she giggled a bit more, "_Fart-olo-meow_."

"I don't blame you," Usopp said, "I would've probably had the same reaction if I wasn't used to it."

"Yeah, he's just an idiot," Zoro said.

Luffy grabbed a piece of meat quickly from Zoro's plate and his hand almost got stabbed into the process. "That's what you get for calling me an idiot, meanie!" He stuck his tongue out.

Saki suddenly realized about half the food that had been left on her plate was gone. And then a side dish disappeared right before her eyes. "HEY!"

Luffy was about to eat the side dish he had stolen when Usopp, Zoro, and Saki all attacked him at once for eating their food, shouting, "GIVE THAT BACK!"

The rubber man quickly swallowed the food and ran out the door with his plate. "Nooooooo, never!"

Usopp and Saki went chasing after him and Zoro sat down with a scowl. Not that he was surprised. In fact, he was quite used to his captain stealing food. It was just a bit upsetting when he wasn't able to defend it.

After a few short minutes, the three came back into the room. Luffy had his empty plate and more crumbs on his face than before, and Usopp and Saki both had frowns on their faces as they sank into their seats and quickly finished what was left on their plates.

"Usopp, don't run off like that without finishing your food again, got that?" Sanji scolded, completely avoiding the fact that Saki had done the same exact thing.

"Sorry!" Usopp squeaked as he tossed the last of his food in his mouth quickly and hid behind Zoro, "Zoro, save me! He's a monster!"

"Tch! The ero-cook's not that strong. Do it yourself," Zoro said.

"What did you just call me, marimo?!" Sanji asked angrily.

"Ero-cook," Zoro said tauntingly, causing the two to erupt into a fight.

The rest of the people at the table ignored them except for Saki, who watched the whole thing with interest and laughed or 'oh'ed and 'ah'ed at their moves.

"Saki-san, do you travel alone?" Robin asked.

"Travel? I don't travel," Saki said.

"Well…" Robin decided to reword the question, "Do you live alone?"

"Live alone…?" Saki asked, her eating speed slowly decreasing as she finished her food and slapped Luffy's hand away when she could, "Not necessarily… I might as well have been living alone the past few years, though, and I was getting ready to move out before…" She gestured vaguely with her hands.

"I understand…" Robin said, inspecting Saki closely as she raised her plate and asked for seconds.

"What do you mean 'I might as well have been living alone the past few years'?" Chopper asked innocently.

"I just…" Saki patted Chopper's hat, "It's very complicated, Chopper."

Chopper frowned as Saki dug into her food until she picked up a spare pair of chopsticks and looked at them curiously. Suddenly she got a bright look on her face and stuck the chopsticks in her nose and started dancing around with Usopp and Luffy (who had also pulled out their chopsticks then). Somehow the four ended up dancing like fools while everyone finished their food and laughed in amusement.

That night, everyone was sleeping somewhere on deck because the dinner had turned into a party. Everyone except Saki, who looked around oddly at everything, including herself. Everything around her was now completely different. Why was she here? How did that well bring her here? And… was anyone even going to look for her? Of course, her siblings probably would, if they actually lived anywhere nearby and didn't have other important things to take care of. Heck, they probably didn't even know she was gone!

She wondered briefly if Aya and Coco would search for her, or maybe that Ace guy she had met earlier that day. She shook her head harshly. After everything that had happened, there was no reason for them to go and search for her, and Ace didn't even really _know_ her. There wasn't really anyone else to count on either. Maybe her older brother, but he was on vacation that week. Then again, would she really be here that long?

…

She really hoped so.

It wasn't like she had anything in her own world to love and cherish anymore – except her One Piece plushies, but being with the real characters was much better than her plushies. Speaking of her plushies, she wished she had put one in her bag.

Her bag…

Wait.

Where was her bag?

She suddenly shot up and started looking around, avoiding actually walking inside. If it was inside, that would mean the Straw Hats had it, and they took care of people's treasure. If it was outside… She just hoped it wouldn't be ruined.

Saki frowned when she felt her Ipod vibrate in her pocket. Luckily, she hadn't dropped it when she fainted in the infirmary, since Luffy surely would've destroyed it or Franky might have taken it apart. Some message about Clean Master had alerted the device and she deleted the notification. Her cover photo, a picture of her siblings and herself five years back, made her smile. She liked her siblings, but they could be the most terrible little devils.

"Who are they?" a voice made her jump in alarm and she spun around only to face Luffy.

"Uh, those are my siblings," Saki answered.

"Your siblings? Let me see!" Luffy said.

"Here," Saki said, turning the device to him so he could see them.

"What're their names?" he asked.

Saki raised an eyebrow. Why was he so curious about her family? "That's Momoko, but we call her Momo…" She pointed at a short girl with light brown hair in two buns and brown eyes. "This is Samuel," She pointed then to a boy about the same size as the girl but his hair was a more orange-y color and his eyes were also brown, then she pointed at a taller raven-haired boy with bright green eyes that drooped a bit, "And that's Tora. He's my older brother."

"And that one is you?" Luffy asked, pointing at the girl in the middle, a bit taller than Momo and Samuel but shorter than Tora. Her hair was down to her lower back and down, and her eyes were the odd rose red color that Saki was still confused over.

"Yeah, I guess that's me," Saki said.

"You guess?" Usopp said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, "How do you not know if that's you?"

"Well, my hair isn't supposed to be that long, and my eyes aren't supposed to be red either," Saki said.

"They're not?" Luffy asked, "But I think they look cool! They should be that way!"

"No, Luffy, just because you think they look cool doesn't mean-!" Usopp began.

"Hey, Saki, are you a bird?" Luffy suddenly asked.

Saki and Usopp stared at him.

"A… bird?" Saki asked, "Why would I be a bird…?"

She tried to think through Luffy's thought process before remembering that was basically impossible.

"You came from the sky! So you must be a bird, right?" Luffy asked, then he suddenly started drooling and Saki got the message. She was now to be considered food, and that meant it was time to _run_. "FOOOOOOOOOD~!"

Saki ran away screaming as Luffy took off after her, waking up most of the crew that was still asleep.

"Whas' going on…?" Chopper asked as he rubbed his eyes and clung to Robin's pant leg.

"It seems Luffy has become a cannibal," Robin said.

"A cannibal?" Chopper asked, "Why is he a-! OH MY GOSH HE'S TRYING TO EAT SAKI! SAKIIIII~!" He took off running after Luffy to try and stop him along with Usopp who had started running after a few moments of staring.

"I'M NOT FOOOOOOOOOOD~!" Saki screamed as she ran, and then comical waterfalls of tears began to run down her face, "I don't want to die from being eaten! That's too uncool!"

Brook, Franky, Usopp, Nami, and Zoro sweatdropped at her statement as Sanji also went after Luffy for trying to eat Saki and Robin grew a few extra arms to grab Luffy's ankles. Luffy fell to the deck with a sudden thud and kept staring at Saki with sparkly eyes. "Hey, hey! Can you fly? No, better yet, do you taste good?"

Saki's eyes widened and she stopped running.

"You had better hurry and run, Saki-san. I'm not sure how long I can hold Luffy," Robin said.

"Eh?!" Saki's eyes widened as she looked at Robin in disbelief. She _knew_ Robin could hold Luffy longer! This was just cruel! Was she going to be eaten for a second din-!

"FOOOOOOOD! I'M COMING FOR YOUUUUU!" Luffy shouted as Robin's arms disappeared and by the time Luffy was standing Saki had practically vanished already.

Zoro, who was feeling a bit sorry for the new food supply, pointed the opposite direction from where Saki had gone. Or, that would have been the opposite direction, if Zoro wasn't terrible with directions. "She went that way."

"Thanks Zoro!" Luffy shouted as he ran by.

A few moments passed until they heard. "AHHHHHHH! MY HEAD! DON'T EAT MY HEAD! OUCH!"

"Zoro-san, you're so cruel!" Brook said as he peered in the direction Saki and Luffy had went running.

"EWW! You don't taste like a bird at all!" Luffy shouted.

"Of course I don't! I'M A HUMAN! A _HUMAN_!" Saki screeched. The two came back around the corner a few moments later; Saki was trying to get drool out of her hair without directly touching it with her hands. She took off her hoodie and started rubbing her hair with it, revealing a Straw Hat pirate skull symbol on the inside. "Looks like I accidentally put it on inside out…"

"Whoa!" Usopp and Chopper came running to look at the logo on the hoodie, "That's so cool!"

"I know, right? I got it cheap, too!" Saki said, "I love discooooouuuuunnnts~!"

"You sound like Nami," Usopp pointed out.

"Oh, I do," Saki said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Nami yelled.

"Just that you love money and discounts a lot," Saki said, "Isn't that true, though?"

"Well, yeah…" Nami said, suddenly making a thinking face and then looked at her log pose. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. We'll be arriving at an island tomorrow or the day after, depending on the weather, and I still need to split up allowances…"

"Nami-swan looks perfect even when she's thinking about important things~!" Sanji called as he swirled away from a beaten Luffy and towards Nami.

"Yeah, yeah," Nami waved him off and walked toward the library, "Hey, I'll be in here if anyone needs me, okay? Saki, there's a couch in the galley you can take a nap on if you need to or you can borrow my bed or one of the boy's beds if you don't mind the smell in there."

"I'll be fine! I stay up late most nights anyway, and if I get too tired, I won't mind the couch," Saki said, bowing politely, "Thank you!"

"Ah, Saki-san…" Brook said, "May I see your panties?"

Saki grinned and then whispered something to the skeleton before walking towards the galley. "I think I'll take a nap after all."

Blood suddenly covered the deck from a nosebleed. Brook's nosebleed.

"Skeleton-bro, what'd she say?" Franky asked.

"B-Black…" Brook said.

"Black…?" Chopper asked, "What does that mean?"

More blood covered the deck.

"Sanji!" Chopper shouted, running around in circles in dismay. Robin giggled at Chopper and Usopp was busy trying to get the skeleton and cook to stop bleeding all over the deck.

* * *

As Saki settled down on the couch in the galley, she wondered how long she would be able to stay with the Straw Hats. A few hours? A day? Possibly a week? And then what would she do? She couldn't just impose on them, and they had no need for someone like herself on the crew, since she didn't really have any skills that would be helpful. She could cook, but not nearly as good as Sanji, and she could draw, but her art probably wasn't even as good as Usopp's. Not just that, but she didn't have any sort of important dream or anything, either.

So where would she go?

She pulled her Ipod back out to look at the picture of her siblings and herself. None of them would appreciate a place like this, except for maybe Momo, because she also liked One Piece, but not as much as Saki did. Tora was always napping or eating, so there wasn't much here that he didn't have at home already, and while Samuel would like the adventure, he would eventually get bored with it and want to go home.

Saki laid a hand over her eyes and stuck the device back into her pocket. Aya and Coco would probably hate this world, since it was One Piece. Once they found out where they were, they would freak out. Then again, they weren't even here, so it didn't really matter.

What if her picture showed up on news channels? "Girl mysteriously disappears without a trace," or something like that? And then, would anyone really be looking for her? Well, it didn't really matter, anyway. Living in this world would be much more exciting than her life in her own world.

Sadly, this wasn't one of those fanfiction stories, and she wasn't going to magically gain powers or fit in places she shouldn't. There was no reason to stay here. Even though she loved being around the Straw Hats, she couldn't cause unnecessary trouble for them.

"Augh! This is so crazy…" Saki said, burying her face in her hands.

* * *

"So… What are we going to do about her?" Usopp asked.

"She said she didn't have anywhere to stay…" Robin said, "But we don't really know anything about her. She could be a bounty hunter, or worse, a psycho murderer."

"DON'T SAY THAT SO CALMLY!" Usopp shouted.

"If Saki-chwan doesn't have anywhere else to stay, couldn't she stay with us?" Sanji asked, hearts flying in every which direction.

"Didn't you hear Robin? She could be here to _kill_ us!" Usopp screeched at Sanji.

"Nah, I think she's a good person!" Luffy said.

Everyone quieted at that. Luffy _was_ a good judge of character. Then again, even he could be wrong about people sometimes.

"I don't trust her," Zoro said.

"Yeah, I mean, she has sketches of us!" Usopp said.

"She said she's a fan!" Luffy said, "Of course she has sketches! Wait, fans usually make sketches, right?"

"It depends," Robin said.

"Oh, okay," Luffy said, knowing he probably wouldn't understand any further explanation.

"And she has that weird device! What if it's a bomb?!" Usopp said.

"I could disable it _super _easily!" Franky said.

"Yeah, trust Franky!" Luffy said.

"I really like Saki!" Chopper said.

"_I_ think she might be dangerous!" Usopp said.

"_I_ still think she's a nasty-tasting bird!" Luffy said.

"Like I said, she is _not_ a bird, Luffy!" Usopp shouted.

"So, what should we do with her, Luffy?" Robin asked.

"Hmm…" Luffy made a thinking face, "I think… We should keep her with us for an island or two! Because she's funny, and we don't know what do with her yet!"

"Are you sure about this?" Usopp asked.

"I'm sure! Captain's orders says bird-girl can stay for now!" Luffy said, causing nearly everyone there to sweatdrop.

"Yes, Captain," everyone replied, looking towards the galley and wondering what kind of trouble this girl could end up causing for them.

* * *

**Ahh… So I haven't posted on this story for nearly a month now, and it took me getting sick to finally make me work on it. Had One Piece on in the background, along with a lovely set of stomach cramps while I wrote. Yeh, wonderful, right?**

**I hope you loved the new chapter! Now that I'm getting back into the groove of this story, I'm hoping I can type some more soon! Hopefully I'm feeling better though, so I can write some longer chapters, because I feel like dog poo right now DX Augh… My stomach~…**


	4. Adventure Time!

_**IMPORTANT QUESTION!: Just how do you do the grey line breaks?! Someone please tell me… T^T **_**EDIT: I found out how to do them~ :3**

**Oh, gosh. Third (fourth, counting the Prologue) chapter… My plans are finally coming together better, but this is supposed to be a long story, so nothing at the end is officially finalized or anything XD Yeh, I'm a bad planner, but I love writing, so please bear with me.  
I'll take any questions you guys have, as long as you don't ask for spoilers. Like an SBS? Yeh, I'll go with that, we can start SBS when we get enough questions gathered XD  
Also, you don't **_**have**_** to… But some more adorable fanart would be nice… *wink wink***

**Disclaimer: So… Oda-sensei owns One Piece, and I don't. The sad truth is revealed…**

* * *

_Chapter 4  
Adventure Time!_

Saki awoke late the next morning to Japanese screaming. _"What…? Oh, yeah."_

"SAKI! We're at a new island! An island~! And island~!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper danced around the galley as Saki sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Hah…?" Saki mumbled to herself, "I don't wanna go yet… Five more mi- WAIT, WHAT?! An island~!"

Now the group of four danced around the galley together.

"Guys, hurry up and get out here or you don't get your allowances!" Nami shouted, "You know I'd be perfectly fine with keeping them, too!"

The boys ran out of the galley quickly and Saki just stared at the door for a few. Dang, all this was still weird. She glanced around at the room in wonder; being _in_ the room was much different than just looking at it on the screen. "_Much, much cooler,"_ Saki thought as she walked out onto the deck where the others were. A few of them were already getting ready to get off the ship and have fun, but Saki was still savoring her time here. Who knew if she'd be coming back? The Straw Hats got in a lot of trouble that they themselves had a hard time getting out of, so it wouldn't really be surprising if Saki ended up getting herself into a lot of trouble that she _couldn't_ get out of.

"Woah…" Chopper said when he looked out at the island, "It's so pretty!"

Saki looked out at the island then and frowned. Snow. She hated snow. Why? Well, she just did. Looking at it was fine, but she hated being _in_ the snow. It's too cold, and it makes your nose runny. Unless you're a reindeer, that is.

"Yeah, pretty," Saki said.

"Do you not like the snow?" Usopp asked.

"Nah, not really. Too cold. Nice to look at, though," Saki said.

"Here, you can have an allowance too," Nami said, handing Saki a small stack of beri. "Just spend it wisely, understand? And since you're a guest, I guess you can keep the extra, this once."

"R-Really?" Saki asked, taking the stack of money hesitantly, "You're not gonna fine me, are you? No 300% or something?"

"Huh? No, not unless you ask that again," Nami said.

"Thanks!" Saki said, hugging the beri to her face and then sticking it in her pocket.

"I'm off!" Luffy said, rocketing himself off to the nearby forest on the island. Or not.

Nami grabbed the back of his coat and gave him a death glare.

"_I'll_ be making groups today, understand?" Nami ordered threateningly.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Luffy said.

"Okay…" Nami said.

The ones who had been getting ready to go then stopped to wait for Nami's orders. Defying them meant possible death, or at least a very painful cranium.

"Luffy, you'll be with me, so I can make sure you actually stay with our group. Saki, you can come with us too," Nami said. Sanji waited for Nami to continue anxiously. Hopefully she'd let him join the group with the girls? "Zoro and Chopper, you guys come with us, and the rest of you are in the other group."

Sanji sulked and the groups split up (with a few quiet protests of course) until he suddenly realized that he was still in a group with Robin and resumed his dancing. Nami pulled out one of her old coats and handed it to Saki; a red one, with white fuzz around the hoodie.

"You can use that until we get back, okay?" Nami said.

"Yeah! I'll take good care of it!" Saki said.

Nami nodded and then the group set off.

* * *

"Woohoo~!" Luffy cheered as he and Chopper slid down a snowy hill on a log.

"This is so fuuun~!" Chopper shouted.

"Hey, bird girl! Do you wanna try? It's really fun!" Luffy said.

"No thanks. I don't like sledding…" Saki said, holding her arms close to her and scowling down at the snow by her feet.

"Okay!" Luffy said as he and Chopper went down the hill a second time.

Saki looked around with a pout. It was cold, and it was boring. She hated sledding, Nami was busy getting measurements for her mapping, and Zoro was napping against a tree, leaving absolutely nothing to do. Maybe.

"Hey, Nami, do you have any paper and something I could use to write with?" Saki asked.

"Huh?" Nami asked, looking back at Saki and then down into the bag she had brought, "Yeah, one sec and I'll get it."

"Thanks," Saki said when Nami handed them to her, grinning.

When she brought the pencil down on the paper, she immediately began drawing. Drawing was her favorite thing to do, cooking being the only thing that could get anywhere close. What she drew wasn't really surprising; she had drawn this character plenty of times before. Herself. Except this time, she had her coat on, and her hair was down. Sadly, she didn't have her colored pencils, meaning she couldn't color her lovely creation, so she just shaded it with pencil. For her, drawing seemed to pass time quickly. Drawing for an hour could feel like mere minutes for her, and she loved it.

"Woah… That's really good!" Nami said, somehow having appeared right over her shoulder.

"AH! WHOA!" Saki yelled in surprise, "Oh, sorry, you scared me."

"Sorry," Nami said, "But really, that's really good! How'd you learn to draw like that?"

"Uh… A lot of practice and alone time, basically," Saki said, leaving out the part about drawing Nami, Vivi, and then other girls of One Piece countless times. Yeah, that was her practice, really.

Saki was actually much better at drawing girls than boys, so she preferred it, but her favorite One Piece characters had always been the guys. Of course, she liked them _all_, but if she was _forced_ to choose a favorite, it would probably be one of the Monster Trio. Why? Well, they're awesome, that's why.

"Hmm…" Nami hummed, "Well, that's nice."

"Oooh~! That _is_ really good! Like those other pictures we saw!" Luffy blurted out over her other shoulder.

"Luffy!" Nami screeched at him.

"What?" he asked.

Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You're such an idiot…"

"Wait, wait, wait…." Saki said, "Other pictures?"

"Yeah! We-!" Luffy began, stopping only because Nami had slapped a hand over his mouth.

"You…?"

"I'm sorry," Nami said, "We looked at a few of the things in your bag…"

"Oh, really?" Saki asked, shrugging casually, "Okay."

"_OKAY?! _Just like that?!" Nami shouted.

"Yeah," Saki said, "I trust you guys."

"Why?" Nami asked.

"Huh?"

"Why do you trust us so much?" Nami asked.

"Why not?" Saki asked.

"Uh, maybe because we're pirates?" Nami asked.

"Pirates aren't automatically evil," Saki said, "There are good pirates, too, so why should I be afraid just because you're pirates?"

"Most pirates aren't like us," Nami said.

"I know," Saki said.

"So why do you assume we're good?"

"Alabasta, Enies Lobby," Saki listed, "Fishman Island. Those are all popular incidents, you know."

"But don't the marines take credit for those?" Nami asked.

"They're too see-through. Their stories are obviously fake," Saki pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so," Nami said, shrugging, "But still, we could've just done those things for money or fame."

Saki lifted an eyebrow at her and pointed at Luffy. "Really?"

Nami sweatdropped. "Okay, maybe you're right."

The two girls chatted for a few until Luffy finally said he was getting bored with sledding.

"Hey, I think I smell deer!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Deer?" Luffy asked, turning his head to Chopper with sparkling eyes.

"Yeah, this way!" Chopper started walking off in a random direction.

"Okay!" Saki and Luffy said, following Chopper. Nami kicked Zoro awake and made him follow too, of course.

A few minutes later, they arrived in a small open clearing.

"What is this place?" Nami asked, looking around at the trees.

"I don't know, but it looks like a good place for a picnic!" Luffy said, plopping himself down on the ground.

"Maybe if there wasn't so much snow," Saki said.

"I second that," Zoro said, rubbing his legs where they had gotten cold from resting in the snow before.

"And we don't have food right now, anyway," Nami said, "We need to head back to the town now."

"Okay!" Luffy said, standing right back up.

* * *

"Robin-chwan, would you like me to carry that for you?"

"No thank you."

"Okay!" … "Would you like me to massage your shoulders?"

"I can do that myself."

"Oh, Robin-chan, you're so talented!"

"Thank you."

"Robin-chan-!"

"Sanji, could you please stop?" Usopp asked.

"NO!" Sanji shouted at him, "The ladies must always be cared for!"

Usopp cowered behind Brook. "I'm sorry!"

"Would you like to split into further groups?" Robin asked, "We could get a bit more done that way."

"Yes, Robin-chwan~!" Sanji said as the others nodded in agreement.

"Okay…" Robin looked around at their tiny group. "Brook, Usopp, and Sanji, you guys can be one group, and Franky, you can stay with me."

Sanji wilted but obeyed nonetheless. The two tiny groups set off in different directions towards the places they needed to go. Sadly, not much grocery shopping could be done here because the prices were either _extremely _high or there was nothing to buy. Since it was a winter island, the only thing they were really selling was meat, but there was a limit to how much of that you could buy and use on the ship before it went bad.

As Sanji, Usopp, and Brook walked the street, they saw many different shops. Apparently, since this island wasn't very good with produce, it made up for it in different ways. They passed about a dozen pottery shops, some jewelry shops that Nami would absolutely love, a clothing shop or two, and a few other random shops. Usopp and Brook led a very bored and slightly depressed Sanji into one of those random stores to look at the snowglobes that were displayed in the window.

"Ohhh~! This one looks really cool!" Usopp said, pointing to a relatively small globe with an ocean-like display on the inside.

"I believe Luffy-san would love this one," Brook said, laughing as he pointed to a rather large snowglobe with a piece of cooked meat inside of it.

"Yeah, but he'd break the thing within the first few seconds he held it," Usopp pointed out.

Sanji looked at the little snowglobes out of boredom until he found a small one with a rose in it that caught his eye. _"I wonder if it would seem too pushy…?"_

"Oh, do you like that one, Sanji?" Usopp asked, "It looks really well made."

"This rose…" Sanji said, "Reminds me of Saki-chwan's eyes~!"

Usopp and Brook sweatdropped. Leave it to Sanji to compare a snowglobe to a girl.

"_A possible murderer girl…"_ Usopp thought to himself, shrugging to look back at the globes again.

When he turned around to show Brook another one, Sanji was gone.

"Where'd he go?!" Usopp asked.

"Right there, at the register," Brook pointed at Sanji, who was buying the little snowglobe, "Yohohohoho!"

* * *

Robin silently read a book that she bought as Franky looked at odd trinkets and tools in a surprisingly nice shop. The outside had looked run-down, but the inside was completely different. Franky had been happy that he relied on his gut instinct telling him to go into the shop.

The weird old guy behind the counter stared at them the whole time, even though there were plenty of people in the shop at the moment. "Hey, you there."

"Me?" Robin asked, looking up from her book.

"Yes, you," the man said, "What are ya' doing in here?"

"Accompanying my friend, here," Robin said, gesturing to Franky with the hand that she wasn't holding her book with.

"You gots others with ya'?" he asked.

"Not in the shop, but I am with others," Robin said, "And why is it your business to know, sir?"

"You don't look like you fellers are from 'round here, so I'm gun' give you some advice," he said, "Stay away from the castle at the back a' the island, and stay outta' the forest unless you be a hunter."

"Out of the forest?" Robin asked, remembering that Nami's group had headed there, "Why?"

"There be traps all 'round there from them hunters. They be catchin' all the animals for their zoo and food," he said, "Your friends get caught in there, they'll be havin' a hard time gettin' out, you hear?"

"Thank you, sir," Robin said.

"Are we leaving now?" Franky asked.

"Yes," Robin said, dog-earring her book and slipping it shut.

Once they exited the small building, Robin looked around at her surrounding anew. She now realized that there was, in fact, a rather small castle near the north coast of the island. From where she was, she couldn't see where the zoo was, but she was guessing it'd be closer to the edge of the town because of the smell.

"So, what are we looking for now, Robin-sis?" Franky asked.

"I think we should go look for Sanji, Usopp, and Brook now," Robin said.

"Already? That was _super_ quick," Franky said.

"Yes, but the man in that shop gave me some new information on this island that I would like for everyone to know," Robin said.

Once they had found the three boys, Robin told them what the old man had told her.

"A zoo?" Usopp asked with a happy smile, "I want to go!"

"Did you not get _any_ of the information the beautiful Robin-chwan told us other than that?" Sanji asked.

"No, I heard her, I just haven't been to a zoo since the time I-!" Usopp began.

"Stop now," Sanji warned him.

"Okay…" Usopp squeaked.

"Yohohoho! How harsh, Sanji-san!" Brook exclaimed.

"I'm not in the mood for stories right now," Sanji said, "I just want to know if Nami-swan and Saki-chwan are okay."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Usopp said, "After all, they've got Luffy and Zoro with them."

"And if Luffy runs off and Zoro gets lost?" Sanji asked.

"… You might just have a point there."

* * *

"I can see the town!" Luffy said, drool slipping out of the side of his mouth.

Nami frowned. "I wonder…"

"What is it, Nami?" Chopper asked.

"Nothing," Nami said, patting Chopper's hat.

When they entered the town, everyone stared at their group oddly.

"What's up with them?" Saki asked curiously, causing one person that was watching them to scoff, "They seem a little… Grumpy."

"I don't like it!" Luffy said, "They're all frowning and being weird, and I don't see any restaurants anywhere!"

"Yeah, well I don't like it either but-!" Nami began.

"NAMI-SWAAAAN~!" Sanji shouted as the two groups spotted each other.

"But we were going to have to come back here anyways…" Nami finished, eyebrow twitching as Sanji danced towards them.

"Nami-san, Saki-chan, are these idiots being rude to you?" Sanji asked.

"No, actually," Nami said.

"They've been being as good as they could probably be all day long," Saki said.

"Oh, really?" Sanji asked, "Well, you haven't been having any other problems?"

"Only one," Nami said, "Luffy's stomach."

"Ehehe…" Luffy laughed nervously and rubbed his growling stomach.

"Well, there aren't many places to get vegetables around here, so you're in luck Luffy," Sanji said, "I'll be right back in a few and we can go to the Sunny for food."

"Yay! Food!" Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp shouted. A rather large drop of drool fell from Saki's own mouth as she thought of Sanji's food and her stomach growled in response to the thought.

After Sanji came back with some meat and a very small amount of vegetables to cook, the group headed back towards the Sunny, but not without more staring.

"What is the _problem_ with these people?!" Nami growled angrily.

"Maybe they recognize you from the wanted posters?" Saki suggested.

"They wouldn't recognize _me_!" Usopp said, "Because _I_ don't have a wanted poster like theirs."

"Yeah, _Sogeking_ does," Saki said, grinning, "By the way, where exactly _is_ Sogeking, hmm?"

"Uh, er…" Usopp rubbed his nose nervously, "H-He's been watching us from the island of snipers! Yes, he's always nearby."

"Wait, so you're saying the island of snipers is always nearby?" Saki asked.

"Uh, y-yeah! In…" Usopp placed a hand on his heart, "In here."

Saki chuckled and knocked a hand on Usopp's head. "I think you mean in _here_."

Nami giggled a bit, Sanji and Zoro both grinned, Franky laughed loudly, and Chopper, Brook, and Luffy all looked around in confusion.

"I don't get it," Chopper said.

"You don't need to, cutie," Saki winked.

"I-I'm not cute!" Chopper declared as he danced and blushed.

"If you're not cute, then we don't have a street full of people staring at us," Saki said, "It's a fact. You're adorable."

"Don't try and flatter me! It's not working! It won't work, you jerk!" Chopper said, face growing redder as Saki laughed and patted his hat.

"Yeah, yeah," Saki said.

"About the people staring…" Usopp said, "It's starting to give me the creeps! What do they want from us?!"

"Well, we _are_ pirates," Sanji said, "So they probably want us off of their island. Though, I don't understand why they would want these three lovely ladies to leave!"

"I think it probably has more to do with the oddities of our crew here," Nami said, "You know, a walking skeleton, a cyborg, a reindeer, and a monster with a long nose?"

"OI!"

"Probably," Saki agreed.

"Don't just agree!" Usopp said.

"It's easier than disagreeing. I would like to walk away with my head, thank you very much," Saki said.

Usopp cried dramatically and clung to Saki's sleeve. "I knew it! You're evil! Definitely evil!"

"I won't disagree with you," Saki said, winking sarcastically.

"AHHHHH~! SHE'S EVIL!" Usopp and Chopper screamed.

"She's obviously just joking!" Sanji exclaimed, "An angel such as herself couldn't be evil!"

"Couldn't be evil if I tried. Takes too much energy," Saki said, "Besides, haven't you ever read any comics? The bad guys always lose."

"True, true," Usopp said, "But how do we know you're not ly-!"

"Usopp," Nami threatened.

"Fine, fine! I'll drop it for now!" Usopp said, "But that doesn't mean I'm not _thinking _it…"

"Yeah, yeah," Saki said, "I don't care whether or not you _think_ I'm evil because I already know I'm _not_."

"Oh, look!" Luffy shouted, "It's the Sunny! Sanji, hurry, hurry! I'm hungry!"

"Okay already! Don't get your panties in a bunch!" Sanji said, then turned to the ladies, "Not that panties are bad or anything!"

"Sanji, just go," Robin warned him.

"Y-Yes Robin-chan! I'm going!" Sanji said, walking a bit faster to get to the Sunny and start cooking.

* * *

**Yeh, yeh, I know I chose an odd place to stop. Just deal with it, okay?**

**Oh yeah! I started another fic earlier today called "Ask the Straw Hats!". Please go read it! :D And leave a review on it too, please XD**

**Yes, you know the drill. Reviews are appreciated and loved and adored and worshipped and everything, but not required! But I REALLY like it when you leave reviews, so at least think about it?**


	5. Something Here

**Yaaay~! So, I finally found out how to do the grey line breaks! Thank you, Naxu! :D Oh, oh! And you should go check out my new fic "Ask the Straw Hats!" if you haven't already. I'm having a lot of fun with it, and I've even learned things I didn't even know before! It's a huge headache and a lot of fun at the same time XD**

**So, now for another chappie of Oceanbound! I'm hoping I can start getting this story going a lot more. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Quit rubbing it in my face! I don't own One Piece! Heck, I don't even own the laptop I'm typing this on! It's a school laptop! ARGH!**

* * *

_Chapter 5  
Something Here_

"Mmm~! I swear I could die every time I eat this food~!" Saki said, practically crying, "It's so good! I wish my cooking was this good!"

"It's not good to compare yourself to others," Nami pointed out.

"Ah, yeah. It's a habit, sorry," Saki said, waving the hand she wasn't using to shove food into her mouth like a pig.

"Wait…" Luffy said, "You cook?"

"Huh? Yeah," Saki said, "Was gonna open a restaurant and everything, but there wasn't much point, really. Nobody to enjoy it with where I'm from, except my annoying siblings."

"That sounds boring," Chopper said.

"Yeah, boring is definitely right," Saki said, then grinning, she added, "But that's why I like you guys so much! You're always doing something fun and exciting."

"Uh…" Nami gave Saki a weird look, "If getting kidnapped by a so-called 'god' counts as fun, or if getting your shadow stolen sounds exciting, you definitely boarded the right boat."

Saki nodded. "Certainly!"

Usopp and Nami's eyes widened incredulously. This girl was crazy! How could she think those things were _fun_?!

"I don't know about you, Luffy, but I think this girl is weird!" Usopp whispered loudly to Luffy, though still going unheard to the rest over the normal loud commotion at the dining table.

"Me too!" Luffy laughed, causing Usopp to groan. He should've known better! Weird was what Luffy liked! Heck, he would probably ask her to join the crew or something, and she would probably even say yes!

"Oi~! Usopp~!" Saki said, waving a hand in front of said person's face, "Are you okay? You look like you're gonna have a panic attack or something."

"A-Ah, no, I'm fine," Usopp said.

Saki shrugged. "It's okay if you don't trust me. I won't be offended."

Usopp stared wide-eyed at her. Why didn't she care?

"I mean, you don't, right?" Saki said, then grinned, "I bet Zoro and Nami don't either."

"How do you-!" Usopp began until he was so rudely interrupted by Luffy.

"Okay, I'm done! I wanna go explore more! C'mon, guys! C'mooooon~!" Luffy whined.

"Yeah, yeah," Nami said, rolling her eyes and finishing off the last of her food quickly, "Come on, Chopper, Zoro, Saki, before Luffy leaves without us."

Chopper quickly shoveled the last of his meal into his mouth and then ran to catch up with Luffy and Zoro followed with a few mumbles about witches and bossiness. Saki smiled before she also followed them, running up to Chopper and Luffy before they could get out of her eyesight. She knew; once they were gone, you wouldn't see them until you were in the midst of the chaos. Frankly, she would like to see the chaos from the beginning.

* * *

"I still have this terrible feeling! I don't _trust_ her! It feels like she knows something I don't!" Usopp said.

"Yes, actually…" Robin said, "It's not the trust that is an issue, but I do feel like there is something we do not know."

"I think we're all just over-thinking it," Franky said, "She seems like a _super_ awesome person!"

At that moment, Saki sneezed, and she would never know the real cause.

"I just realized…" Usopp said, "We forgot to tell them about the traps in the forest."

"…"

* * *

Saki held Chopper in her arms close to her chest. Dang, it was cold out here, and dang, Chopper was WARM! And fuzzy. And soft. Yeah. That was nice. By her side, Luffy tried to lean in and get the excess warmth. Sadly, Saki wasn't known for being hospitable. And even sadder, Luffy made the best puppy face Saki had ever been faced with. Which was saying a lot. Normally things like that didn't affect her.

"Ahh~! So warm!" Luffy said once Saki had shifted Chopper a bit closer – who, surprisingly, didn't care that he was being used as a warmth plushie.

"Mmm, yeah…" Saki said, smiling goofily in the warmth.

As if landing on the ship wasn't enough in the first place, now she was hugging Tony Tony Chopper, famous reindeer doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates, and trudging through the snow with the one person she admired the most. And a few more of them.

Nami shifted a bit closer from behind before she suddenly realized something important. She should be leading! Not the stranger and her dumb directionless captain! Though, even Luffy leading was better than Zoro, who was thankfully just right in front of Nami.

"Hey, hey!" Chopper said suddenly, "Put me down!"

Saki let the reindeer down with a confused expression matching Luffy's. When Chopper started sniffing the ground, everyone unconsciously tensed themselves for trouble. Thankfully, nothing happened for the next five minutes, except now they were deeper in the forest than they had been before.

"We've headed a bit far north," Nami said, "I wonder if there is even anything else on this island?"

"Maybe the other half is a spring island," Saki said, laughing jokingly.

"I doubt it," Nami answered, "Or else they would probably have more vegetables and fruits over here."

"You're right…" Saki said, pondering the thought herself. How did these people live without bananas and apples and watermelon? That sounded terrible.

Though she'd be perfectly happy if brussel sprouts found their way out of existence.

"Hey, Chopper, what are you picking up?" Zoro asked.

"I-I'm not sure…" Chopper said, "It smells kind of like something is… burning? I can't really tell…"

"I don't see any smoke," Luffy said, looking up and around at the sky that was visible through the trees.

When Nami finally looked up at the sky, she frowned. Those clouds were getting darker, and she was hoping there wouldn't be a blizzard later. It didn't quite feel like they would be having that problem just now, but the weather is often quite unpredictable.

"It smells like…" Chopper said, giving Luffy an odd glance before biting his shorts to hold him still, "Meat cooking."

"MEAT?!" Luffy shouted, trying to take off unsuccessfully.

Saki drooled. Even though she just ate, food sounded good again already. "Sh-Should we go find it?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said, "We should!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "No, we shouldn't we just ate and we don't need to ruin anybody else's-! OI!"

Luffy and Saki were both practically dragging Chopper and ordering him to direct them to the smell. Zoro just followed them, knowing there really wasn't any chance of getting them to stop by now.

"Whatever," Nami sighed.

When they finally found the source of the smell, they had reached the middle of a clearing where a girl was sitting on a tree trunk eating a huge hunk of meat.

"Oi, lady! Can we have some of that?" Luffy asked, sniffing the air eagerly and drooling at the sight of the meat.

"No…" the girl said, "I don't even know you. And why would you trust me to give you food?"

"Well, you're eating it, so it must be fine!" Saki said, "Anyway, what reason would you have to poison strangers? Just a little piece? Pleeeeease~?"

The girl frowned at them before picking two small pieces away from her food and handing it to them. "There, but don't ask for more."

Saki chewed her food slowly, savoring the surprisingly amazing taste. Sadly, Luffy had just practically swallowed it whole.

"Hey… This is really good! You cooked this?" Saki asked.

The girl grinned, her light blue eyes practically shining. "Really? You like it?"

"Yeah! Really good flavoring! It's a lot like Sanji's food!" Saki said.

"Sanji? Well, I don't know who that is, but I'm assuming he must be a good chef to rival my food," the girl said, throwing her light brown hair in a ponytail as her grin grew a bit wider, "What's your name?"

"I'm Saki, and this is Luffy, Chopper, Nami, and Zoro," Saki introduced them all, pointing to each in turn.

"Luffy…? And Zoro… Your names sound awfully familiar…" she said, then, sticking her hand out to Saki, "Anyway, my name is Lilli. I work at the zoo in town, but I wanna get out of that crap job as soon as possible."

"There's a zoo here?!" Luffy said, eyes shining, "Cool!"

"Eh, cool to look at, but it _stinks_ in there," Lilli said, "Trying to raise money to build a restaurant, though, and that's the best paying job I can get around here."

"Are the animals nice?" Chopper asked, causing Lilli's eyes to widen.

"Whoa! You talk?!" Lilli said, "Cool! How in the heck do you find a reindeer this cool?!"

"Ah! You didn't mistake him for a tanuki. Good job," Saki said jokingly.

"Oh, yeah, and the animals are pretty nice," Lilli said, "At least, none of them have tried to kill me, or anything like that."

"Whoa~! I wanna go!" Chopper said.

"You sure about that?" Zoro asked.

"Huh?"

"What if they try to catch you and stick you in a cage?" Zoro asked.

"Ah! They wouldn't do that! And if they did…" Luffy said, "I'd beat them up!"

Lilli frowned then. "Anyway, I'm surprised you guys haven't gotten caught yet."

"Caught?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, there're traps set up to catch animals all over these woods," Lilli explained, "And I mean a lot of them."

"They're just lucky," Saki said, "And I'm lucky enough to be walking with them! Otherwise I'd probably have already gotten caught by now…"

Nami just stared at the new stranger wide-eyed. How had they not gotten caught already?! And, what about the walk back?! The snow had already mostly covered up their steps, so they couldn't just follow the same trail back!

"Ah, I can walk you guys back to the town if you need me to," Lilli said, grinning again, "I know this place real well. I can get you back without setting off any of those traps."

"No thanks-!" Luffy began, stopping when Nami whacked his head.

"Idiot! Do you _want_ to get caught?!" Nami screeched at him, "We'll take your offer!"

"Good!" Lilli said, "Follow me!"

* * *

_Meanwhile, in a certain place on the island…_

"Ai Siu…" a deep voice thundered in a dark room.

"Yes, Broderick-sama?" a low feminine voice answered.

"Have you checked the town for visitors this week yet?"

"No, my lord."

"Go. Check the town. And if you find someone suitable, bring them to me immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

"Ahhh~!" Luffy whined, "Are we almost there?"

"Yeah, just hold your horses," Lilli said.

"I don't _have_ any horses!" Luffy said.

"She meant be patient, idiot," Nami said, sighing and shaking her head.

"Ohhh~!" Luffy said, then pouted, "But I don't _wanna_ wait!"

"Well that's just too bad," Nami said.

"Yeah, I just wanna get back to town and eat something," Saki said.

Lilli raised an eyebrow at her. She was _still_ hungry? Even after eating the last of her meat?

"Me toooo~!" Luffy said.

"Never satisfied, huh?" Zoro said, "God, we just keep running into endless pits everywhere."

"I'm not an endless pit!" Saki defended, "I just… have a big appetite, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Zoro said, "Whatever you say."

Saki pouted at him, knowing he was being sarcastic. "Go eat a pickle."

"What?" Zoro asked.

"A pickle. It's a joke of mine," Saki said, "I use it with my sister a lot when she's being annoying."

"Oi!" Zoro said. He was _not_ annoying!

"Ah, no offense," Saki said, "Just thought it'd be nice to use that joke. Ain't used it in a while."

"Why not?" Nami asked.

"Don't see my siblings that often. They're always at school and hanging out with their friends and stuff."

"What about you?"

Saki slowed for a moment and tensed. "Me?"

"Yeah, don't you have anyone to hang out with?"

"…" Saki walked at a normal pace and casted a few glances toward the people around her, before realizing something – or rather, _someone_ – was missing, "Hey! Crap! How could I not have noticed?!"

"Huh?" everyone suddenly stopped to look around.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap…!" Saki panicked to herself as she looked around, "Where'd he go? Crap!"

"Hey, wait…" Zoro said, beginning to look around a bit more frantically, "Where'd Chopper go?!"

* * *

**GASP! Chopper is gone! Or is he…? And who are Ai Siu and Broderick? To be revealed… As soon as possible!**

**Remember, I love you all!**

**D: Argh! I'm so frustrated! Today, someone decided to be a jerk and get all technical about my ask fic! :( I hope they don't take it down… It's been helping me in my writing a lot lately… :P**

**Anyway, remember, reviews are loved, appreciated, adored, and all that, but not required! :D Thank you for reading!**


	6. Something Not Here

**So, I'm finally back with this next chappie of Oceanbound~! :D I'm happy with the (albeit small amount of) responses I'm getting! You guys are all so nice! I LAHV YEW PEEPS!**

**Oh yeah, so, one of the characters in this arc has a special name XD You'll probably have to say it out loud in order to realize what it is, though. I'm thinking of giving someone a prize in the form of art if they find it out first~! And YES, I **_**do**_** know how to find out who says something about it first! So don't be a bad sport if you don't win! I believe this should be relatively easy, though.**

**One more thing! I'm taking OCs! Any and all! Pirates, marines, bandits, civilians, etc, etc… Yas, yas! So if you have a character you'd like to submit, just PM me, 'kay? Of course, I **_**could**_** technically come up with characters on my own, but I think it'll be a lot more fun to use other people's characters as well. So… Submit until you die! (Er, maybe not until you **_**die**_**…) And don't be a meanie if your character is not accepted! There are only so many characters I can use, ya know XD**

**Disclaimer: Lilli is not mine (she belongs to phonenix)! One Piece and it's characters are not mine! Saki, Ai Siu, Broderick, and more **_**are**_** mine, though. If you want to use them, ASK!**

* * *

_Chapter 6  
Something Not Here_

"CHOPPER~!" Luffy shouted.

"Chopper? Are you under here?" Saki asked, peeking her head into a rather large hole in a tree.

"CHOPPER!" Zoro and Nami shouted.

"He's probably been caught in one of the traps or by a hunter," Lilli said, "And if it was a trap, he should still be nearby. Let's go back."

The group walked, shouting Chopper's name the whole way, for a few minutes until they reached the clearing they had left before.

"It must've been a hunter, then," Lilli said, "They're probably either cookin' him up for dinner or putting him in the zoo."

"AHHHH~! THEY CAN'T TURN CHOPPER INTO VENISON~!" Saki screamed.

"AH?! CHOPPER!" Luffy shouted, "IF ANYONE IS GOING TO EAT CHOPPER, IT'LL BE ME!"

Nami whacked him on the head more times than is advisable. "Nobody is going to eat Chopper. And why would you do that?!"

"I meant, nobody is allowed to eat Chopper…" Luffy said, hardly understandable through his swollen face.

"We should head back to the town and look around," Zoro stated.

"Then we'll head back now," Lilli said, "And this time, keep a better eye on everyone. If you get eaten, I won't be blamed."

"E-E-E-Eaten?!" Nami and Saki stuttered.

"I'm too young to die~!" Saki cried.

"Then come on!" Lilli said, eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Ah, sorry," Nami said, dragging Saki behind her by her hood.

They reached town nearly twenty minutes later, and the sky had cleared up considerably.

"If you want to go check the zoo for your friend, I can get you guys in there for free," Lilli said.

"Oh, would you?" Nami asked, eyes sparkling at the thought of a discount.

"Yeah, c'mon!" Lilli said, leading them then to the zoo sitting in the northeast corner of the town, "Here we go! Go to that girl and give her the secret password…"

"What's the secret password?" Luffy interrupted.

"It's…" Lilli said, "'Pickles are the best fruit'."

"Pickles are… the best fruit?" Nami asked.

"Don't ask me. It's some random code Lulu over there came up with," Lilli said, pointing to a pink-haired girl standing at the entrance of the zoo.

"O-Okay…" Nami said, "Then, I guess we'll be going now. Zoro, you take Saki and go look around town for Chopper, and me and Luffy will go in here and search for him."

"Don't boss me around-!"

"I'll raise your debt if you don't go right now."

"Fine!" Zoro said, stomping off towards the entrance of the forest until Saki grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back into the town along the street.

After a few minutes of searching, Saki had a sudden realization. "Hey, they're not staring at us anymore!"

"We're being watched, though," Zoro said.

"We… We are?" Saki said, stopping. She knew to trust him when he said something like that.

"Yeah, for a few minutes now," Zoro said.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Saki screeched, "What if it's somebody dangerous?!"

"I'll slice them up," Zoro said, putting a protective hand on his swords.

Saki sighed. "Okay, yeah. But still. Say stuff like that sooner! I'd like to know when people are staring, ya know."

She started walking again, making sure to look for smoking chimneys (which there were a significant lack of) and shady people. Sadly, Chopper was nowhere in sight. After nearly an hour of walking around the village, Saki was starting to get worried. She knew they'd probably find him and beat the crap out of who ever had dared to touch him, but she didn't want anything to happen to him before then. After all, this obviously wasn't the normal One Piece storyline, or she wouldn't be there.

"Uh…" Saki said, "Umm…"

"What?"

"Wanna… talk about something…?" Saki said, "I mean, unless you don't want to… It's okay if you don't."

"Is there something specific you need to say?" Zoro asked.

"Ah, no… Just, uh, bored…" Saki said, "Sorry if I sound weird. I don't talk to people much."

"Why not?" Zoro asked.

"No friends," Saki said, "I had some before, but it's been… a while. Since I talked to them, I mean."

"You had some before…?" Zoro said, "What happened? Are they…?"

"No, not dead. I just did something stupid and they don't like me anymore, is all," Saki said.

"Mm," Zoro nodded, not wanting to pry. Also, he didn't really feel like hearing any over-emotional sob stories at the moment.

"So…" Saki said. _"I already know nearly everything about him! I can't ask about his favorite color… ARGH!"_

"I wonder if we're close to Chopper…" Zoro said, looking in the window of the nearest house.

"Hey! You can't just look in people's houses! That's rude!" Saki said.

"I'm a pirate. I can be rude if I want."

Saki blinked. "True."

"I wonder if Luffy and Nami found him yet," Zoro said.

"Don't know," Saki said, shrugging, "I hope he's in the zoo, though."

"Why?"

"Would you rather him get pet by a bunch of overly-friendly kids or be cooked and eaten for dinner?" Saki asked.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"I don't trust you."

"I know."

"…"

"What?"

"You're an odd one," Zoro said.

Saki then looked in one of the windows of a house where smoke was coming out. "Not in there…"

"Oi, oi! I thought you said not to look in people's windows?" Zoro said.

"Meh. If you can do it, why can't I?" Saki said, sticking her tongue out.

The two walked in silence for a few more minutes after that, occasionally commenting on houses where smoke was rising from the chimneys and where to check next, until Saki suddenly started pointing at something excitedly down the street.

"It's Robin and the others!" Saki said, then raising her arm, began waving to them happily, "OI~! ROBIN, FRANKY, USOPP!"

The small group suddenly looked up from the shop window they had been looking in when they heard her voice and looked around until they saw her waving arm. When they walked over to Saki and Zoro, her expression suddenly went from happy to serious.

"We need your help!" Saki said.

"Chopper went missing," Zoro bluntly explained.

"Chopper is missing?!" Usopp screeched, "Where'd you lose him?"

"The woods," Zoro said, "But we already checked back all through there and Luffy and Nami are looking for him in the zoo."

"B-B-But, what if he gets e-e-eaten as dinner by these locals?" Usopp asked.

"What if _who_ gets eaten?" a voice suddenly said from behind the sniper, nearly frightening him into a heart attack.

"Sanji!" Saki said, "And Brook, too! You gotta help us find Chopper!"

"Find Chopper?" Sanji asked.

"Yohohoho! Maybe he went to find some ladies to show him their panties?" Brook suggested.

"No, no…" everyone answered.

"Where should we look, then?" Robin asked.

"Split up and look around the other corners of the town," Zoro said, then eyeing Saki, he added, "You're staying with me."

"Awww~! Why? I wanna go with someone else now!" Saki whined, wanting to spend time with one of the Straw Hat's that she could talk to better.

"I don't trust you, and I want to keep you close-by," Zoro said.

"Ohhhh~!" Saki said, shrugging, "I guess… But you need to talk more! You're boring the life outta me! Literally! Look at these bags under my eyes! You're just _that_ boring!"

"I am not boring!" Zoro said.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!"

"Yeah ya are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes."

"AHA! I got you~!"

By now, Usopp and Brook had cracked up, and Robin was chuckling silently as Sanji nearly kicked Zoro's head in for arguing with a lady.

"Anyway… Usopp! You should come with us!" Saki said.

"H-Huh? Why me?" Usopp said, his laughter coming to a halt with her sudden exclamation.

"Cause your nose looks funny and it'll keep me entertained long enough," Saki joked, grinning.

"Hey! My nose is perfectly fine! And it is not amusing! I'll have you know this is my mother's nose!" Usopp said.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Saki said, gesturing to come with him as Robin and Franky walked off in one direction and Brook dragged Sanji away from them into another direction.

* * *

"Sir," Ai Siu said into a little den den mushi as she watched a few interesting people walk by, "I believe I've found the kind of person you've been searching for."

"You have?"

"Yes, I do believe so, sir."

"Then bring them as soon as you can, but do not alarm the villagers."

"On it, sir. And should I bring you coffee, sir?"

"… If you would."

* * *

Robin used multiple eyes to search in alleyways and inside of homes for her reindeer friend as Franky openly called his name. They had been walking for nearly twenty minutes now and the cold was making obnoxiously large drops of nearly freezing snot to fall from the cyborg's nose. Robin herself was beginning to shiver, and so they found a relatively decent looking coffee shop to rest at for a few.

"Maybe I'm only looking into things a bit too much but…" Robin said, "I think that girl knows more about us than we think she does."

"What do you mean?" Franky asked.

"I mean… Like just now, when we all met up, and Usopp said his nose was from his mother," Robin said, "Instead of just saying, 'Yeah, yeah', she said, 'Yeah, yeah. _I know_.' But how would she know? And why would she say that…?"

"Yeah, I think you're probably just looking into it too much," Franky said, "I think she was just trying to get him to not say anything else about it."

"Like I said, though…"

"If anything is off about her, we'll notice it soon enough."

"Okay then…"

"Ai Siu-sama!" one of the waiters suddenly said, "What are you doing here?"

"Lord Broderick-sama wanted some coffee. If you would? I have business to attend to," the young lady said. Her hair was up in two black buns, and her eyes were slim and grey. Her red turtle-neck sweater and her white pants complimented her look perfectly as well.

"Y-Yes! Immediately!" the man said, still glancing at her as he ran to get the coffee.

"You there," Ai Siu said, pointing at Franky, "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm the _super_ cyborg Franky!" Franky said, striking a pose.

"I do not care about that…" Ai Siu said, glancing down at Franky's speedo before continuing, "Why… Why are you wearing that? This is a winter island. You must be cold, no?"

"I am cold! But I can't wear pants! It'll take away my dignity as a pervert!" Franky said.

"Mm…" Ai Siu said, nodding and tensing uncomfortably, "Okay then."

"Here you go, ma'am!" the waiter said, handing Ai the cup of coffee carefully after popping a lid on it, "Have a good day, Ai Siu-sama! Good wishes to Lord Broderick-sama as well!"

"Thank you," Ai Siu said, nodding and handing the man a beri, "I will be on my way and you two, please have a good day as well, and may warmth be with you."

"Thank you," Robin said.

"You too, young missy!" Franky said, waving as Ai Siu left the building.

Robin's eyes narrowed. So, that lady worked for the king on this island?

* * *

"Oh gosh!" Saki said, "How did you do _that_?"

"Well, it all started with this big old crocodile and then-!" Usopp began.

"Shh!" Zoro said.

"Oi, Zoro, I know you don't like my stories but you don't have to-!"

"SHH!"

"…"

"Never mind. I thought I heard Chopper for a second."

"…"

"_Anyways_," Saki said, "What were you saying?"

"Oh yeah! Well, the crocodile was pulling on the poor elephant's nose! But I, the great Usopp-sama, used one of my special attacks to make the crocodile let go! But alas, the elephant's nose had been stretched out, and that is how they got their trunks! They've been like that ever since!"

"Whooooaaaaa~!" Saki said, knowing the story wasn't true, but still impressed by Usopp's imagination, "That's so cool!"

"Yeah!" Usopp said, grinning. _"Maybe this girl isn't all __**that**__ bad…"_

"Oi, oi!" Saki said, redirecting Zoro, who had starting walking off in the complete opposite direction, "I swear, you're more lost than my old grandma!"

"Hey! I am not!" Zoro said.

"You are," Saki and Usopp said.

"Whatever," Zoro said.

"Pfft! 'Whatever'? What are you, a teenage girl?" Saki said.

"You are!" Zoro shot back.

"I know I am!" Saki said.

"Guys, guys! Calm down!" Usopp said.

Saki stuck a teasing tongue out at Zoro and blew a raspberry at him, causing Usopp to laugh (rather loudly, in fact).

"Hey…. Guys?" Zoro said, "Aren't we back where we started at?"

Saki and Usopp looked around confusedly for a moment. This place did not look at all familiar.

"No, it's not," Usopp said, "You really _are_ more lost than Saki's old grandma!"

"You don't even _know_ her old grandma!" Zoro said.

"It doesn't matter if he does or doesn't because…" Saki began, "You're more lost than _anything_! Grandma or not!"

Saki and Usopp burst out laughing at Saki's joke and Zoro crossed his arms. Why had he agreed to let Usopp come along? All he was doing was making evil witch #2 – Nami was #1 – crack a bunch of jokes at him.

"It's because you're just _so_ boring!" Saki said.

"W-What?" Zoro asked. How had she known what he was thinking? He hadn't said it out loud, had he?

"It's written all over your face, Zoro!" Usopp said, "Even a complete stranger can see it!"

"At least he's not getting these bags under his eyes from being as bored as I was!" Saki proclaimed, than burst out in laughter again at her joke.

"I'm not _that_ boring!" Zoro said.

"Maybe if you talked more you wouldn't be so boring," Saki said, then shivered, "Dang, I hate winter! Why does it gotta be so cold?!"

Usopp shivered then too. "I don't know but… at least there's lots of snow to play with!"

"Count me out," Saki said, "I'm not a big fan of the snow. I like looking at it, but it's just too cold for me!"

"Awww~! What a party pooper," Usopp said.

"Whatever," Saki said.

Zoro suddenly started laughing. "Who's the teenage girl now?!"

* * *

**XD lol I just loved that ending though XD  
This chapter did have a purpose! Even if it wasn't too obvious!  
Anyway, I just finished this awesome picture, and so I decided to add the coffee shop part…! :D It's something for a story I've been working on for a long time now, and I'm starting to get really into the planning and everything.**

**Behehe… So, Robin is having hunches, Zoro suspects her, and Usopp has basically just dropped his guard! What shall happen next chapter? Will they find Chopper? Will I ever stop asking questions? Yes, I will! I hope you enjoyed!**

**Please favorite, follow, and review if you enjoyed! I won't force you too, though… T^T lol**


	7. The Search Continues!

**Dun dun dun DUUUUUN~! Another chapter of Oceanbound, to the rescue! Fuahahahaha!**

**The odd name contest is still going! Remember to say new names out loud to yourself (and maybe try a few different pronunciations)! Whoever wins may get a drawn picture of their OC (head and shoulders – I can't draw bodies very well at all) from le me! Though, I guess that's not really much, huh…? Well, if you want to see my art, look up Izumi-Kishi on DeviantArt. I have some pics of Saki on there that I drew!**

**I'm still taking OCs! Though most of my characters will be self-made, I'd like to see some other characters, maybe ones I can add in the sidelines or in short fillers, possibly (yes, if you haven't noticed, this story is going to be rather long…)? Marines and villains are the most needed. I have a lot of the basic storyline written, but some of my villains need some more… eh… character. Like, I have their DFs or fighting skills, but they don't really have a form yet XD Oh well… Even if no one enters any OCs, I think I should be able to get by. :3 So anyway, enjoy le Oceanbound!**

**Disclaimer: Lilli is not mine (she belongs to phonenix)! One Piece and its characters are not mine! Saki, Ai Siu, Broderick, etc… are mine, though. If you want to use them, ASK!**

* * *

_Chapter 7  
The Search Continues!_

Nami and Luffy had already looked at every animal in the zoo. Every. Single. One. And Nami could swear she was going insane. How was she going to explain that Luffy had just recruited an old sick pigeon into the crew?

"Don't ya think so, Mr. Birdy?" Luffy asked, "Chopper must be a ninja, because he is hiding really well!"

"HE'S NOT JUST HIDING, LUFFY!" Nami screeched, going to hit Luffy.

The rubber man jerked his head back to avoid the hit, but that unfortunately meant his birdy friend was whacked clear over the brick fence of the zoo.

"NAMI! YOU HIT MR. BIRDY AWAY!" Luffy cried in dismay. How could she do that to his new friend?!

"Yeah, yeah. I'm _so _sorry," Nami said sarcastically.

"Oh, okay! I forgive you!" Luffy said.

Nami sighed as she grabbed Luffy's hand and led him out of the zoo. If they couldn't find Chopper here, Nami certainly wasn't going to stay long enough for Luffy to make another animal friend.

"You leaving already?" Lulu asked as they walked out the front gate.

"Yes, this idiot is driving me nuts and we can't find our friend here. Thank you," Nami said.

Ten minutes later, the Captain and Navigator found some of their friends.

"SANJI~!" Luffy shouted, "BROOK~!"

The two men turned to look at them, and Sanji burst out into a flurry of hearts and noodle dancing, reaching the pair in record time. "Nami-san! Our idiot captain wasn't too much trouble, was he?"

"Meh, other than recruiting a dying old pigeon to the crew, I was just bored," Nami said, "Did you guys hear about Chopper?"

"Yes, Nami-san. Saki-san and Zoro-san told us, so we are also searching around town," Brook said.

"No trace of him anywhere," Sanji said, pulling his cigarette from his mouth and putting it out in the snow, then lighting another one. "Have you guys seen him?"

"Nope!" Luffy said.

"I hope Chopper-san will be okay…" Brook stated worriedly.

Everyone nodded in silent agreement. Losing their little reindeer friend would be terrible.

* * *

Saki frowned, hoping beyond hope that at least one of their groups had found Chopper by now. Usopp's stories, though he was still telling them, had gotten a lot quieter as his worry grew for his friend. He glanced at each of the two walking with him as he finished telling his newest story. Though he was still a bit suspicious… he was wondering, if this odd girl that had come falling (literally) into their lives was really the bad person he had thought her to be at first.

Number one, she loved his stories. Yes, he knew that wasn't a reason to trust someone, but at the same time, what terrible enemy would bother to listen to the stories that even some of his own crewmates didn't want to hear sometimes? Second, she hadn't tried to do anything to harm them. She had even joked around with them! And slept on the couch in their galley! (Not that that had much to do with anything.) Third, she seemed genuinely worried for their lost friend, and that (though he wasn't ready to admit it yet) warmed him up to her just a little (okay, kind of a lot, but nobody would know anything).

"Hey…" Saki said, attracting both men's attention, "D'ya think… Chopper is okay?"

"_I don't know… if perhaps me arriving here would change anything…" _she thought, _"But, if it does, the only person who deserves to be hurt is myself. I'm not supposed to be here…"_

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Zoro said.

The two could visibly see the tension in Saki's shoulders fade away, if just a little. Which brought Usopp to wonder…

"Saki, why do you trust us so much?" Usopp said. The tension in her shoulders came back and her walking faltered a little, when suddenly she gasped and ran to pick up a paper lying on the street next to the snow.

"Look!" Saki said, turning around and showing the paper to her companions.

"That's…!"

* * *

"What is this…?" Robin said, carefully tearing a pink paper away from its place taped onto the wall of an old building. She gasped, barely audible, and grew a hand from Franky's shoulder to grab his attention.

When the cyborg looked at the paper, he wasn't sure whether to frown or smile. This was…

* * *

The group of four had been walking for only a few minutes when they saw the flyer, displayed proudly on a shop window. It almost seemed to mock them, but at the same time, it was like getting a present.

"Chopper!" Nami said, running up to the window to look at the flyer closely. After they had gotten a copy of the paper from the shopkeeper, they turned to head back to the zoo.

Not much longer after, Robin and Franky had met up with them in front of the zoo's decently sized entrance gate.

"Where are the other three?" Nami asked.

"We haven't seen them, Nami-sis," Franky said.

"Since Usopp and Saki-san are with Zoro, I'm assuming they've had to redirect him a few times, or they may not have found a flyer, yet?" Robin suggested.

Not one whole minute after she said that, did a laughing Usopp and Saki plus one grumpy moss head come walking up to the gates.

"Sorry! Zoro here led us on a detour," Saki said in between small fits of laughter.

"It's not my fault you told me to go the wrong right…!" Zoro said, crossing his arms.

"Psh! How many rights _are_ there, then?" Saki said, laughing once again.

"Two," Zoro said, voice full of confidence.

Saki kept laughing. "Silly! There is one right and one left! If there were two rights, what would left be?"

"Anyway," Nami interrupted, "What're we going to do about this?"

Nami held up her flyer. The words "Special Reindeer Display" decorated the top of the page, and details about the time and location were displayed beneath them.

"It starts at 9PM tonight, and it's still only 4PM. What will we do with the five hours before that?" Nami asked.

"I say we prepare first," Robin suggested, "If we come in there not knowing where anything is, it'll be much harder to retrieve Chopper."

"Oh, oh!" Saki said, suddenly raising her hands in the air.

"What is it?" Nami asked.

Saki's eyes practically shone. "Can we wear cool outfits? And can I have something to defend myself with? I know a bit of basic karate, but that's it…"

"_And it was from an anime, no less…" _Saki's inner self added.

"Cool… outfits?" Nami asked, a particularly large drop of sweat going down the side of her head.

"Yay! Cool outfits!" Luffy said.

"I guess that means yes," Zoro said, "No changing his mind, after all."

"Yay!" Saki cheered, doing a weird dance with Luffy in her excitement.

"Now that I think about it, don't we normally have cool outfits on when we do things like this?" Usopp suddenly pointed out.

Nami shrugged. She normally wore nice clothing, so it didn't really make any difference to her. There were times that she could think of, though, such as when they had went to battle Z, but she didn't normally think about it.

"Let's go get our cool outfits on!" Luffy and Saki cheered, still dancing around happily.

* * *

Saki hummed happily as she slipped on her second red coat this island. She was wearing that, along with a short black skirt, fishnet leggings that didn't actually do much for warmth, and knee high black boots. Her hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail, making her more familiar as the girl she had sketched before. She briefly wondered why Nami hadn't already worn this outfit from her closet as she walked out onto the deck and sat down on the bench around the mast. Rather surprised to be the first one done changing, she pulled out her phone and looked at some of her old pictures, stopping on one of three teenage girls when Luffy came out asking Sanji to pack extra food for the evening…

* * *

**Mah~ Sorry this chapter was a bit short, but I promise the next one will be longer, ne?**

**I've been working on an awesome story, and it's just starting to grow into this crazy large tree of ideas! I swear, I'm using whole notebooks on this super crazy story! I can't wait until I can actually start typing it in the future~ It's gonna be so cool~ :D**

**Mah, mah~ Do any of you play Animal Crossing New Leaf? I've been exceedingly lonely, lately, and I keep my 3DS right next to my bed, so I play it a lot.  
If you wanna exchange friend codes, PM me! :3 :) :D**


	8. Plan the Retrieval!

**Well, I'm back to writing! :D Sorry for taking so long! T^T**

**Please make sure to remember the name contest! Nobody has answered yet! Meaning nobody has won yet! The contest will only be going until the end of this arc, and if nobody guesses it by then, there shall be no art prize (sadly) but I will tell you the special name. Pronounce the names out loud, or you might not be able to notice the special name!**

**I've decided to not take any new OC characters. Not only have I received none, but I believe it's much more creative to make my own characters. This way, no one can tell me something is 'out of character', etc… The only exception I have is Lilli (phonenix's character), and of course, the crew.**

**And one more thing! I'm going to rewrite the first chapter T^T There is something I'd like to change, other than making it third person instead of first person. I went to re-read it, and realized how terrible I am at first person writing (that might have something to do with the fact that I dislike most first person stories…).**

**Disclaimer: One Piece is not mine! Lilli is not mine (she belongs to phonenix)! My OCs are mine! If you want to use them, ask me first, please!**

* * *

_Chapter 8  
Operation Rescue Chopper!  
Plan the Retrieval!_

"It's 6PM! This means we still have three hours to plan what we're going to do," Nami said after the crew had gathered in the galley.

"Awww~! Why do we have to do _plans_?" Luffy whined.

"Do you want to get Chopper back or not?" Nami asked, "We can't get him back if we don't even know where to go to get him back, dummy!"

"Okay…" Luffy said, sulking. He hated when they had to do all the planning stuff.

"First of all," Nami said, "We need a map of the zoo!"

A hand sprouted from the doorway, grabbing a small stack of papers from another hand. "Already on that, Nami-chan. I also grabbed a few extra, just in case."

"Thank you, Robin," Nami said, taking the offered maps and looking them over for a few moments in silence. The zoo wasn't too big, and it was more of an amusement park, really. There was an aquarium area to the left when you entered, birds and reptiles were on the right, an area with savannah animals was also on the right in the back corner of the zoo past that (how they kept them warm at all was a complete waste of time for her to try and think about), monkeys and other animals were on the left in the other back corner, and a bathroom area was placed in between the savannah animals and the birds and reptiles. From an area near the gate going to a special exhibit area in the back (where Chopper would be "displayed", she was sure), there was an area for food, rides, gift shops, and a sitting area.

A plan slowly worked itself out in her head as she looked at the map, memorizing where the paths led to even though she wasn't required to do so.

"Usopp and Sanji-kun, you'll be coming with me. Robin, I need you to follow us, but stay far enough back that people won't suspect you of being in our group. You'll be the backup if we get caught, okay?" Robin nodded before Nami continued, "Luffy and Franky will take care of any guards that come after us from the 'monkeys and other' area. Brook, you'll be on the other side, near the savannah animals."

Luffy, Franky, and Brook also nodded now, and Sanji silently admired Nami's great plan-making abilities while hearts floated around his heads like little bugs.

"Zoro and Saki, you'll be making sure that any guards that may get called from the 'birds and reptiles' area don't come to the special exhibit area."

Saki nodded enthusiastically with a hum of approval and Zoro just watched Nami, waiting for her to continue.

"My group will be headed to the special exhibit area to try and break Chopper free. If we could, I would like to try and get him out before they have a chance to show him, but we will probably have to get him once they've already done that. This means, around the time that they are going to release him, everyone needs to be ready to fight. Is that clear?"

Everyone gave their own signs of approval.

"Nami came up with that so fast!" Luffy said, "Ne, how'd you do that, Nami?"

"With my brain," Nami said.

"What about getting out?" Robin asked.

Nami hummed. "Well, we'll just have to run out of there once we get Chopper back. I hate to go in there without planning that, but it's really all we can do."

"We could break through the fence," Zoro said.

"No, we're not doing that when we could just get Chopper and leave without damaging the town. Besides, a few animals would probably get lose if we did that, and if any dangerous ones got out, civilians could get killed," Nami stated. Her eyes then widened slightly and she reached for something strapped to her waist by her Clima Tact before handing said item to a surprised Saki. "You needed something to protect yourself with, right? It's not much, but you can use my old staff. It's from before I got my Clima Tact."

It really shouldn't have surprised them, but Saki was so happy about just using Nami's staff that she was practically shining and emitting flowers from her ears.

"_I can't believe it! I'm in possession of the staff Nami first was seen using to knock out one of Buggy's pirate cronies! Oh god, oh god… I think I'm dying of happiness,"_ Saki thought as her eyes got shiny and happiness practically radiated off of her.

Luffy laughed at her hilarious fan sparkles while everyone else stared. Why did she have to be weird like all of the people they met?

* * *

_**~About Three Hours Later at the Zoo Gates~**_

"Yo! You guys are here now!"

"Lilli!" Nami said, "Yeah, we decided to separate into groups. I brought these two boys with me, and the black haired woman back there with the orange sunglasses is our other friend, Robin."

"Oh, okay," Lilli replied.

"Lilli?" Usopp asked.

Nami turned to Usopp and blinked at him before remembering her hadn't met her yet. "Oh yeah! Lilli, this is Usopp. Usopp, this is Lilli. She helped us out a bit before."

"Lilli-chwan helped you out?" Sanji asked, lifting Lilli's hand to his mouth and kissing it (causing said girl to blush slightly), "It's wonderful that such a pretty lady is also helpful and sweet!"

"U-Uh, yeah, thanks," Lilli said. "Anyway, you guys have a plan, right?"

Nami nodded. "Yeah. We planned before we came."

"Good," Lilli grinned, "I'll help you with getting out. I've got something I've been itching to use for a while."

* * *

"Okay, so we're going to the… the right!" Saki announced, suddenly turning towards the exhibit she had been told to go to. "Don't get lost!"

"I don't get lost!" Zoro said.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaah you do," Saki said, grinning. After they had met with Lilli, they had been allowed free entrance, and she guessed the rest of them would have the same luxury. That being said, since they were now in the zoo, Saki could annoy the crap out of the swordsman. "I bet you could get lost on a straight path."

"No!"

"Yep!"

"No!"

"Yeeeeep!"

"No!"

"Nope."

"Yes!"

"HAHAHA! I GOT YOU AGAIN! HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO FALL FOR THAT TRICK?!" Saki laughed, tears rolling down her face in her amusement. "It's just too funny…!"

"You know, I could cut you in half," Zoro said.

"I bet you won't~!" Saki taunted.

With an angry growl, Zoro placed his hands on his katana and Saki pouted.

"What a party pooper."

"I am not!" Zoro said.

"Sure, whatever you say," Saki replied, shrugging her shoulders, "Hey, you know, I'm surprised Luffy is letting me stay for now."

"Well that makes two of us."

Saki glared at him. "I mean, I'm not strong at all, really, and the little bit of things I do know probably doesn't actually even work…"

"Why wouldn't they?" Zoro asked.

"They're from television."

"What's 'television'?"

"… Nothing important," Saki shrugged her shoulders again, "Just a way to waste time, really."

"That sounds stupid," Zoro said, crossing his arms as they walked by an exhibit full of parrot squawking random things they'd heard people say in passing.

Saki blinked. "Well, yeah. I guess so, but it's really cool. Like, watching a story on a screen. Except, there is also news, and other kinds of things…" She waved her hand as if to dismiss the thought. "It doesn't really matter… Hey, are you ticklish?"

"What?" Zoro said, looking at her with widened eyes.

"I said, 'Are you ticklish?'"

"I know what you said! Why do you want to know that?!"

Saki shrugged. "Dunno. You don't seem like the ticklish type, so I thought it'd be funny if you were."

"Okay, well, don't try."

"I'll keep that in mind," Saki laughed.

* * *

"Ohhhhhh~! Look at that! It looks so yummy!" Luffy exclaimed, passing a food stand with Franky and Brook. Brook was going to split off once they got to the intersection in front of the special exhibit area, so for now, he was walking with the other two.

"It certainly does, Luffy-san!" Brook said. The two of them drooled at the stand until Franky drug them away. "I wonder if there are any takoyaki stands nearby? I still have some leftover money from the allowance Nami-san gave me."

"We don't have time for that right now," Franky said, "We still have to get Chopper-bro back, and it's probably gonna be _super_ crazy getting out of here, since we don't have any official plans."

Luffy pouted and Brook would have been pouting – if he had a mouth to pout with! "I suppose you're correct, Franky-san."

"So hungry~!" Luffy whined.

"Once we get Chopper out of here, you can get Sanji-bro to make you some food, okay?" Franky suggested.

"Oh, okay!" Luffy said, perking up at the thought of Sanji's food.

The three of them approached the intersection a few minutes later and split into their groups. Robin waved as Brook passed her on his way to the area he would be in.

"Hey, Franky, how long is it going to take for them to get Chopper back?" Luffy asked.

Franky looked back at Luffy with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head with a small smile. "You didn't listen to what we were doing, were you? Once they bring Chopper-bro out, it should only be a few minutes before the commotion starts."

"When are they going to bring Chopper out, then?"

"In a few minutes."

"Ohhh, that's good," Luffy said as a loud grumble escaped his stomach. Franky laughed as Luffy seemed to visibly deflate.

* * *

The click of heels sounded as a nicely dressed figure made her way through one of the exhibits. If her king wanted this, she would get it for him, she thought to herself as she watched two of the people she had seen walking down the streets earlier that morning.

* * *

**WOOOOOOW OKAY SO I'M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER! Next chapter should be longer, so please don't beat me! *throws confetti everywhere* **

**I'm really sorry, again, for taking so long. Inspiration has been failing me lately, and doing asks for my other fic has been the most I could do to keep myself writing at all. So, thank you all for being patient with me while I lazed about trying to come up with ideas and trying to type things out in a way that sounds at least decent. I'll definitely try to get the next chapter out soon! And don't worry, I will not abandon ANY of my stories, even if it takes a while for me to get new chapters out. I don't want to be one of those people who gets people all hyped up and then never updates ever again. I've read so many stories like that, and I really hate it, so I don't want to do that to you guys.**

**Anyhow, I'll see you soon, I promise!**


	9. The Commotion Begins!

**Hello again! :D I hope you're all doing well! **

**ANNNND I'M BACK! Our Odd Names contest has a winner (already)! XD It is Seagazer, who correctly guessed the name Ai Siu, which can be pronounced as "I See You." Good job, Seagazer! :D**

**I'm still busy rewriting the first chapter, but I'll post a note in the beginning A/N of a chapter when it is up, along with a note in the description of the story.**

**Thank you for sticking with me! I really appreciate the favorites, follows, and the reviews! :D**

**Disclaimer: One Piece is not mine! Lilli is not mine (she belongs to phonenix)! My OCs are mine!**

* * *

_Chapter 9  
Operation Rescue Chopper!  
The Commotion Begins!_

Usopp glared at the nicely lit stage, along with the high fence around it and the unfriendly looking display area. Whoever was in charge of this would be in a world of pain if – no, _when_ – they began chasing them, he thought, but Nami had already said to try and not fight if it could be helped. There were multiple innocent civilians walking around and none of them needed to be hurt in the trouble they would surely be causing. Not only that, but if their fighting destroyed any part of the outer wall of the zoo, the animals would likely get out, and considering they were rather close to the exhibit where the lions resided, he didn't think the outside civilians would be going home unhurt if they escaped.

Sanji kept asking Nami about the girl, Lilli, they had met earlier, and if they were friends and if they would possibly see her again. Of course, after a few minutes of repeated asking, Nami started to get annoyed and told Sanji that, yes, they would probably be seeing her again when they were escaping and (hopefully) afterwards. That was also when Usopp and Sanji learned that Luffy also had met her (and rudely requested for her food) earlier that very day.

Nami kept glancing back at Robin, making sure she was still in sight, and saw the boys – Luffy, Franky, and Brook – split into their appropriate groups and walk towards their exhibits.

"When do you think they'll show it?" a little boy asked his dad.

The three of them frowned. Of course, such a little boy wouldn't understand, but Chopper was their _friend_ and he was part human, just like they were. He wasn't an _it_, and it hurt to hear someone speak about their friend that way.

"Nami, when _are_ they going to show him?" Usopp asked.

"In a few minutes, so be ready, okay?" Nami said.

Usopp and Sanji both nodded. Sanji had already been tapping his foot rather impatiently while Usopp let his hand rest on his bag, where he had hidden his slingshot inside so as not to arouse suspicion.

Robin, also, was watching the stage intently from the back of the crowd, inconspicuously using her devil fruit to try and find where they were currently holding Chopper, or at least how they would bring him out. Hopefully he wasn't in a cage, since that would mean Nami would have to pick the lock, or they would have to find the key. She knew Nami had said to try not to fight, but from what she could tell so far, fighting would be inevitable, unless they could distract everyone. Which gave Robin a great idea, as she instead used her devil fruit to find and retrieve an item she had seen on the way to their destination.

* * *

"Someone is watching us still…" Zoro said, looking around suspiciously.

Saki shivered. And not just from the cold. "S-Still? Why?"

"Well, I do have the second highest bounty in the crew," Zoro said.

"Ohhhh! So that's it? We're gonna be attacked? Does that mean I can start whacking people with this?" Saki grinned and gestured to the staff strapped to her leg. "Isn't anyone here suspicious that a girl is carrying around a staff? Actually, why hasn't anyone started screaming and running? I mean, you have _three swords_! And a scary face."

Zoro frowned at her. "It's common. Why would people be running?"

It took Saki a few moments to process what she said before she laughed nervously. "Oh, uh, where I come from, carrying weapons like yours could get someone arrested without a warrant… Though, I really think that's for the best, there. Lots of crazies, and next to no one seems to know anything about defense. I swear, they would piss their pants if they saw a titan… Then again, I probably would too…"

"What's a titan?"

"Uh… It's something from television."

"Oh."

They walked by an exhibit with some odd looking squirrels in it. Saki made them stop so she could look at them.

"Whoooaaaa! I've never seen anything like that! So cool!" Saki said, awestruck by the bright colors on the little winged squirrels. "I wonder if those are babies. And then, the grownups would be thiiiiiis huge-!" she gestured all the way out with each arm, "And you could ride them in the sky! You could fly all the way to Skypiea! Actually, ten thousand meters is a bit high for a squirrel, even if it _does_ have wings…"

"You know about the sky islands?" Zoro asked.

"Huh? Yeah! I've seen them before, but I've never been there personally," Saki said, "I guess you could say, I also saw that on television."

"You watch that television thing a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah, but it's not really unusual where I come from. Most people use it there," Saki shrugged. It was then she also began to feel the odd sensation of being watched, and she stopped to look around at the other people nearby.

"Hey, you coming?" Zoro asked.

"Uh, yeah…" Saki said, looking around behind her one more time. "Better be careful…"

"You felt it too?"

"Yeah. Hey, Zoro!"

"What?"

"Whaddya think Sanji would look like as a kappa?" Saki asked suddenly.

Zoro laughed. "He'd look like an idiot. Where'd that come from?"

"Hmm… And you as a minotaur! And Nami would be a pretty mermaid, Robin would be medusa, and Luffy would be a dragon!" Saki tried to remember the other two. "And Chopper would be… the Kraken… And Usopp… Oh, a centaur! I think…"

"A minotaur…?"

"Yeah. You'd be Zoromilk," Saki said, hands on her hips, proud that she remembered the name.

"Sure. Whatever," Zoro said.

"You know, if I got a devil fruit, I would want one that would turn me into a dog! Maybe a Chihuahua! Or a Pitbull! Pitbulls are cute, even though their heads are really fat," Saki said.

"Where do you even get these conversations from?" Zoro said.

"Well, you won't start a conversation, so I'm just saying whatever crosses my mind. If I didn't, it'd just be all quiet," Saki said, crossing her arms.

Zoro didn't reply. It was true, after all. Though, it was a bit odd. Was his behavior that obvious even though they had just met? Or was she a creepy stalker fan, like Bartolomeo? Actually, he hadn't been that stalker-ish, though he was a bit overly happy. He glanced over at her while she babbled on about random subjects and frowned. She was way too hard to understand. At least, not after only one day of being around her would he understand.

"Hey, are you listening? You're gonna get lost if you keep spacing out," Saki said.

"I already said, I do _not_ get lost!"

"Yeah, the roads just magically move themselves, right?" Saki snickered.

"Shut up."

* * *

Robin smiled. Her "distraction" was in place. Surely, it would work, since she had not already heard any plans for this, and the sound would surely startle everyone to look. She carefully sprouted an arm and tapped Nami, pointing back in her direction, where she mouthed her special word. When she saw the red head turn back to the others, she knew she had understood the message, and calmly waited for Chopper's showing to begin.

* * *

"… so that's the plan," Nami finished.

"Ohh! That's smart!" Usopp said.

"Of course! Lovely Robin-chan is always so capable!" Sanji complemented, wishing he could show his pretty flower just how much he appreciated her.

"By my watch…" Nami said, looking down at her wrist, "It should be in about one minute."

"Finally!" Usopp said.

"I wonder what the beautiful Lilli-chwan is doing?" Sanji asked (mostly to himself) as his foot tapping increased slightly.

"I'm sure she's getting ready," Nami said, "Hopefully, she's got a weapon in case we need to fight. If she's helping us out, she'll probably get involved in the chaos that'll probably end up happening."

"_AAAARE YOU READY?!_" a voice suddenly boomed over the crowd through speakers carefully secured around the area.

A loud cheer erupted from the audience. Children were elated; pointing to the stage while they stood with their friends and family. People were all chattering about what they would see. Others were busy trying to push their way through the crowd to be at the front, and Nami felt lucky to have gotten their early enough to be at the front of the crowd already – though she had had to step on a few feet to keep people from getting in front of her, and Sanji had practically growled at one person who had rudely tried to push her aside.

"We're about to see one of the most _AMAZING _things to have ever appeared on our island!"

"At least he's got _that_ right…" Usopp said. The other two nodded in agreement.

"It's… the _blue-nosed reindeer!_"

Sounds of awe and cheers came from the audience from the announcement. Because really, how many blue-nosed reindeer did you see on a daily basis? Even on a winter island, that was rare. Very rare.

Guards stood in front of the stage as a man walked out onto the stage holding a microphone, and it was obvious he was the one they were hearing on the speakers. His outrageous suit made him easy to see, and his purple hair was flipped out oddly, swishing all over the place when he moved.

"Raise… the reindeer!"

Another loud cheer erupted from the island as steam filled the stage and a compartment started rising from the ground.

Robin smiled. Her plan was about to begin, and the best part was, all she had to do was flick her hand and she would start the commotion.

* * *

They could barely hear the loud announcement from where they were, considering they were on the opposite side of the zoo. Saki listened carefully, trying to hear what she could while she walked. There weren't many other people walking around, since most of the zoo's crowd was currently waiting to see Chopper. She felt an odd shiver up her back – not from the cold weather – and looked around at the only nearby people. Of course, there was Zoro, and also a few couples and a woman walking on her own.

One of the couples was excitedly pointing at the colorful squirrels she had seen before, another couple was talking animatedly about something she could only guess, and another couple was drinking hot chocolate with their arms hooked together. Saki wrinkled her nose. She didn't like seeing couples like that – it reminded her too much of things she would rather not think about. As she looked over the couples, she noticed the woman walking alone.

Her cold grey eyes were turned up towards the moon, making her seem mysterious, and Saki thought it was actually really pretty. Though, she was rather iffy about those white pants she was wearing. What if someone spilled hot chocolate or coffee on her? Or what if she spilled it on herself? Or maybe she would be on her… girl time? (Saki coughed a bit at that thought.) Saki shook her head. No, this woman pants were none of her business, and she had other things to worry about at the moment anyways.

Namely, Chopper.

She found herself wondering repeatedly, _'Is this plan going to go well?'_  
The Straw Hat pirates weren't exactly known for staying out of trouble, after all, and considering the fact she was there, anything could happen. Now, if she was just reading the manga, she would know, well, _of course_ everything is going to go well! That's how it's _supposed _to be.

But now that _she_ was here – which she _knew_ wasn't supposed to be happening – there was no way of knowing how things would go. And, from experience, she knew making friends wasn't the best idea for her. Especially friends with people she admired.

"You were getting on _my_ case for spacing out, but look at you, staring off at the freaking wall in a zoo full of weird freak-animals," Zoro snorted.

"Huh?" Saki said. _Back to reality, idiot!_

"Why is that lady wearing white pants?" Zoro said, pointing at the lady Saki herself had been looking at, "I remember Nami ranted about how girls shouldn't wear white pants."

Saki shrugged. "Well, it looks good… And maybe she has a magical pair she can change into if she accidentally ruins those ones!"

"I seriously doubt it…" Zoro said.

"You never know! The Grand Line is _weird_," Saki said.

"You think I don't know that?!" Zoro said.

Saki laughed, "Geez, I was just saying! And you know it's true!" Saki sidestepped to get a bit closer and whispered, "Besides, I bet something even weirder than the Grand Line itself is that green hair of yours. What are you, the leprechaun king's son?"

Zoro fumed and Saki backed up quickly, bursting into laughter again.

"NO I AM NOT!" Zoro yelled, only succeeding in fueling Saki's laughter to the point she was holding her stomach and had to stop to catch her breath, claiming her stomach was in pain from laughing so much. "Well, that's what you get."

"It was totally worth that reaction, though," Saki giggled a bit more as she started walking again, and soon she found they had circled the whole exhibit and were now at the entrance. Feeling another strange chill, she was about to turn and look again when…

_**BOOM!**_

* * *

Everyone turned. Not just at the Special Event plaza, but all over the zoo. In every exhibit, every person who had heard the noise turned to look. Nami silently thanked Robin for the distraction, running up to the stage when the announcer left to see just _what_ was going on. Because fireworks had not been planned.

The navigator had both the sniper (with his knocking knees) and the chef by her on both sides as she pulled the hair pin out of her hair and started picking the lock on Chopper's cage.

"Nami!" Chopper cried, "Usopp, Sanji! You guys came!"

"Of course we did!" Usopp said, his knees still shaking in fear as a great contrast to the confident smile on his face as he spoke to the crying reindeer. He was angry. _So angry._ And if he was brave enough and knew there wouldn't be obvious consequences, he would face the whole of the zoo's guards for making his friend cry.

Sanji grinned as Chopper wiped at his eyes and smiled big. "Thank you guys!"

"It's no problem, of course," Nami said, successfully picking the lock and swinging the cage door open. The continuous fireworks were distracting everyone still, and so they were able to get down from the stage without being noticed. That is, until one man turned to say something to his kid about the colors in the sky and saw them escaping the plaza.

"Look! They're escaping with the exhibit!" he shouted, causing most of the adults to turn their heads to the three, "Guards!"

Chopper cringed at being called an _exhibit_ and Usopp groaned in dismay when guards started rushing towards them. Sanji was already busy now, kicking the guards who threatened to grab Nami or Chopper, and Nami was very thankful at that moment to see Luffy, Franky, and Brook run up to them and help attack the guards – who were quickly gaining in number. Robin was short to follow them, arms still crossed as she ran with them, lighting the fireworks as quick as she could until they ran out and they were forced to stop.

Unfortunately, they were still not quite halfway through the zoo when the guards increased greatly, no longer distracted by the fireworks, since they weren't going off anymore. Chopper made Nami let him go so he could help fight; thankfully the zookeepers kept their animals in good condition, so he was perfectly healthy. The yellow uniforms the guards sported thankfully made them easy to see, as it was becoming dark outside, and the visitors were quickly evacuating.

Soon, they were nearing the gate, and Zoro came. Alone.

"Where did Saki go?!" Nami shouted over the fighting.

"I don't know! I turned to see what the noise was and when I looked back she was gone!" Zoro shouted back as he cut down a guard.

Nami sighed. Chances were, Zoro had gotten lost. Or Saki had gotten lost. Or both. "If it was your fault, I'm raising your debt!"

"What's going on?" Robin asked, positioning herself next to Nami and crossing her arms to crack a few spines casually.

"Zoro lost Saki," Luffy said before Nami could speak, grinning as he used his whip move to knock out a few dozen guards.

Robin's face remained neutral as she replied, "That doesn't sound good."

"I hope she gets out okay," Nami said, striking a group of guards with lightning before whacking another guard who had gotten a bit close, "She still has to give back my staff. And my clothes."

"And she's our friend!" Luffy said, smiling.

Suddenly a burst of fire took down a crowd of guards (a crowd of guards who were now screaming in pain), and it wasn't from Sanji's leg.

"Lilli!" Luffy and Usopp shouted.

Said girl grinned as she lifted the flame thrower in her arms, "Yo! Need help? There are a lot of guards here!"

"Yes, please!" Nami and Usopp pleaded. The amount of guards was overwhelming. Did they really need this many guards for a zoo, anyways?

Lilli grinned as she moved into fighting position next to Luffy, "You're the captain, right? I have a favor to ask you for the help."

"What?" Luffy said, curious.

"I need to you to give me a ride to Lobelia Island. It's one of the next islands," she said.

"Sure!" Luffy agreed without hesitation, and Lilli's grin grew wider as the nearby crew members of the Straw Hats eyes widened.

"Thanks," she looked around, "Where'd that other person from before go?"

"You mean Saki?" Luffy asked and Lilli nodded, "Zoro lost her."

"He… lost her?" Lilli said, shooting more hot fire at the group of guards, quickly thinning in number.

"Yup!"

"That's… That's something, alright."

Luffy laughed.

* * *

"Uhhhh… Would someone tell me just _what_ in the _hell_ is going on here?!" Saki shouted. She had awoken in a large room, on a really, really soft couch, and it smelt strongly of coffee. Not that that was bad, or anything, but she was now currently wearing a long and lacy purple dress, ridiculously expensive jewelry, and make up – which she hadn't worn since for at _least_ four years.

And considering the fact she was in the One Piece world now, this wasn't exactly an ideal situation.

* * *

**FUAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE CAT LORD ZORO IS GOING ON WITH MY FIC?!  
Fehehehe… Well, only time shall tell. For you. Of course, I actually know what's going on. But you don't. *insert evil laughing here***

**Well, this chapter turned out to be decent length! Goody! Hopefully I can keep the next chapter at this nice length as well, or hopefully a bit longer still!**

**Yet again, thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews, and I hope I will see more in the near future! :D Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!**


	10. Author's Note!

**Hey guys! :D I'm happy to say that I finally got a chapter of **_**Dream Ride**_** done (my fem!Sanji story; if you haven't seen it already, you should go check it out!), and so now I'll be finishing the last chapter of **_**Ask the Straw Hats **_**for the next week and it should definitely be posted by the 20****th**** of this month.**

**What I am here to tell you, though, is that Oceanbound will be delayed for about an extra month or two, but I **_**swear **_**I'll be working on it! I'm actually rewriting it, sort of. I'll be changing a few things that I wrote when I hadn't actually planned the story out, changing the Prologue chapter into third person, and adding some extra things that I think everyone will enjoy :) Sorry for delaying this! If you'd like to read more of my stuff, though, go to my profile! I have a few one-shots and a short humor story that I'm also writing when I'm not working on my main stories, so if you need a time filler, I'm sure you'll like them! *gives everyone a thumbs up***

**AAAAAAAAND, I'M OUT! *swishes a cape around me and then disappears into nothingness… with my laptop XD***


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